Breaking Ties
by HeroicMuse
Summary: After JJ and Paige break up, JJ seemingly throws himself into his studies-but really is involved in trying to stop Rory from stealing a final exam. In the meantime, Hope and Rafe investigate a mugger who is preying on Salem U students, and Paige moves into the dorms. Plus Daniel faces a crisis when Parker ends up in the ICU with a mysterious illness.
1. Chapter 1

JJ Deveraux sat in the library, burying his nose in his English book. He'd been reading the same sentence over and over. It kept making less sense than before.

"Dude, what're you doing in this dusty old place when its still daylight?" Rory's voice bounced off the walls.

JJ glanced over at the other students trying to study and shrugged apologetically. "Gotta keep my grades up."

"You seriously make me worry, man. You're wasting away in here while there's fun to be had out there."

"Rory -"

"No matter though. Cause I," Rory said, plopping into a chair and shoving his long hair out of his eyes, "have the perfect solution." JJ turned a page and Rory said, "Come on, aren't you even gonna listen?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Don't act so excited. It's not good for your heart."

JJ started to turn another page but Rory slammed his palm into the middle of the book. "That loser Paige isn't worth throwing your life away like this, man. She thought she was too good for you, but it was the other way around. Forget her. Go back to your roots."

JJ pushed the book away. "What's the big idea, dude?"

Rory leaned forward, finally dropping his voice to a whisper. "Rumor has it Dr. K leaves the English final lying around on his desk and the door unlocked."

"So?"

"So if someone were to walk in while he wasn't there they might get a sneak peek. And if they accidentally hit the camera button on their phone, they could share the wealth."

JJ stared at Rory while he tried to figure out what to say. "You mean, cheat."

"Why put it like that? I'm just evening the playing field. So what do you say? Are you in?"

"No!" JJ struggled to catch his breath. "Come on, man. You don't need - "

"Skip the lecture, dude. I get it." Rory shook his head. "It's sad, man. You used to be so much fun before you got mixed up with Paige. Do you know I never once saw her smile? I don't think she knows how. And then you went and fell for her and now you're just like her."

"You know what else is sad?" JJ retorted, crossing his arms. "Me thinking you'd do anything for me like in the old days."

"You mean like the way you took that Jill chick out from under my nose."

JJ jumped up. "You're gonna have to get over that, cause I'm not explaining it to you anymore." He moved closer to Rory, not enough to really be threatening, but Rory jumped back anyway. "You wanna know what happened that night, dude? You really wanna know?" JJ advanced on Rory, not caring they could both be kicked out of the library. "I had your back, that's what. Dude, you were so totally wasted that anything could have gone down and you wouldn't have known the difference, so I got you out of there."

Rory shifted his weight. "I have your back too."

"Do you?"

"If you really had mine, you'd help me steal this test." JJ glared at Rory and Rory said, "Come on, man. You're gonna pass with flying colors no matter what, so why can't you just help me have a chance?"

"Dude, you have a chance. Ever heard of opening a book?"

"Easy for you to say." Rory laughed bitterly. "You grew up going to fancy schools and your mommy hanging your report cards on the fridge, and now that you're not smoking weed you're back to being her golden boy who does everything right. Plus even if you do something she's not cool with, all you gotta do is pick up the phone and there's Dr. Dan making time for you."

"So, what, you're jealous now?"

"No, man. I just wish you knew how lucky you are. You got a cool family and all sorts of smarts. Dude, my mom beat me every time I got a bad grade til she got sick of me. If it weren't for my brother I'd still be living in the park. I'm not as smart as you. I can't pass without a little extra help."

"And if we get caught - "

"We won't."

"Yeah, we will. It always catches up with you sooner or later."

"Are you gonna help me or not?"

JJ was quiet for a minute, trying to get his words together. Finally he said, "Any time you wanna study, I'm there, dude."

"Forget it, man." Rory swung his backpack over his shoulder. "I got plenty of real friends who'll help. If you're not one of them, don't bother calling me anymore." He stomped off towards the elevator.

JJ threw himself into his chair and slumped down. _Sorry, Rory, _he thought. _I'm not giving up on you that easily._

Hope sat at her desk, flipping through files while she talked to Jennifer on the phone. "Of course. When I get done at the station, we'll do coffee and get caught up. And Jennifer, just breathe, okay? JJ's come a long way. He'll get through this too. See you soon, cuz. Bye."

Rafe knocked on Hope's open office door as she hung up the phone, then stuck his head in. "You got a minute to ride out with me to Salem U?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"Campus Security just called something in that I think you should be in on."

"Let's go then." Hope threw her jacket on and followed Rafe out of the station.

When Jennifer got Hope's text that it might be a while, she decided to go to Brady's Pub by herself. She wanted to get out of the house. The picture of her late husband, Jack, on the mantel just seemed to be staring at her, telling her that she had to do something for their son. If he was here she would yell at him that she didn't know what to do, but since he wasn't, it was better just to get out.

She got herself a cinnamon latte, her favorite, which she hadn't had in a long time, and sipped it slowly, trying not to think of anything. Wasn't that what Julie had told her? Meditate and don't think of anything. If only she knew how that worked.

"I thought that was you, Jennifer." Maggie Horton looked as smart as ever in her pale pink suit, pearl earrings and necklace to match.

"Hi Aunt Maggie." Jennifer tried to smile. "Where are you off to all dressed up?"

"Oh, nowhere special. Just off to lead a meeting, that's all. But I'm glad I caught you." Maggie sat down across from Jen and patted her hand. "Tell me, how is that wonderful son of yours doing ever since he broke ties with Eve Donovan's daughter?"

"I wish I knew." Jennifer pushed her coffee away, shaking her head. "He's hurting, Aunt Maggie, I know he's hurting, and I don't know how to reach him."

"Well, what does he say when you talk to him?"

"Nothing. He'll tell me, 'Oh Mom, I'm fine. Don't worry about me.' But he leaves the house early in the morning and doesn't come back until almost 11 o'clock at night. He says he's studying all the time, and I hope that's true, but that's not JJ." Jen took another sip of her coffee and said, slowly, "You're probably going to think I'm being paranoid, but you know the signs better than I do… do you think this means he's doing something he shouldn't be?"

"You mean drugs?"

Jen blinked back the tears as she nodded.

"Oh, Jennifer Rose…" Maggie took Jen's hand in hers. "If he changed once, he can do it again. How about I talk to him and if he has relapsed, I'll help him get right back to what he's supposed to be doing."

"Are you sure? I know you have a lot going on with Brady and - "

"Stop it. We are family. No matter what happens, I'm always here for my favorite niece. Now, you said he leaves early in the morning? How early?"

"Most days, I don't even know he's gone."

"Then I'll just have to stay over so that I can catch him before he leaves. I'll tell Victor that he'll have to live without me for one night."

"Oh no, Aunt Maggie, I couldn't ask you to - "

"Not another word." Maggie took out her phone and began texting. "One thing we have in common is that once our minds are made up, nothing can change them. And mine is made up that I am helping you."

There was an older man standing outside the dorm room as Rafe and Hope came around the corner. He was wearing a jacket with a Salem U insignia, and the lanyard tucked halfway into his shirt was probably his name badge.

"Jake Peterson?" Rafe asked him.

Peterson held out his hand. "Call me Pete. Everyone does."

Rafe displayed his badge as they shook hands. "This is, uh, the scene?"

"Yes, sir. "

The two cops slipped on gloves before opening the door all the way so that they wouldn't damage any evidence. Rafe couldn't help whistling under his breath as they walked in.

The room had totally been torn apart. The pieces of a broken lamp were still on the floor, forcing the detectives to watch their step, papers and books were strewn everywhere, the desk had been overturned… The only thing that was intact was the bed. A girl sat on it, hugging herself and staring at the floor. She was clearly old enough to be a student here, but the way she was hunched over made her look no older than Hope's daughter Ciara, who was in the fourth grade.

"Marissa?" Hope said gently. The girl nodded. "Um, what happened here?" Hope asked.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Hope and Rafe exchanged glances. Hope said, "How about Detective Hernandez interviews Mr. Peterson about what he saw when he found you while you and I talk?"

"I guess," Marissa mumbled. Hope mouthed her thanks to Rafe as he left the room.

"Can I sit down with you?" Hope asked Marissa. Marissa nodded and Hope sat down carefully on the bed. "You must have been so scared. Look at the way this guy tore this room apart. Were you in here then?"

"I was here." Marissa hugged herself tighter. Hope waited a minute before saying, "Tell me what happened."

"I don't remember all of it." Marissa blinked hard. "He… he had a knife and he… he made me…" She put her head in her hands, then looked up again. "He wanted money and jewelry and whatever else was valuable, so he… he tied me to the bed and...and he…" she began to cry.

"He hurt you," Hope said.

Marissa nodded. She rolled up her skirt and showed Hope a mark around her ankle. "He taped my legs," she said, dropping it. She rolled up her sleeve next and showed Hope another mark. It looked like a rope had been pressed into her skin. "He tied my wrists." She pulled at her ripped dress. "He ripped the sash off my dress and shoved it in my mouth to shut me up."

Hope sighed. The young ones always got to her when they got hurt. "I'm sorry I have to ask this, but did he hurt you anywhere else?"

Marissa shook her head. "He pulled my skirt up but then he just laughed, like if he wanted to he could, but he didn't. Instead he tore up the room and ran off with my stuff."

Hope looked at her, trying to size up if the girl was leaving anything out.

"I'm so tired," Marissa said.

"That's understandable. Let's get you to a hospital to be checked out and then - "

"No. No, I don't need that. Everyone will laugh at me and my parents will find out and they'll make me leave school."

"I want to make sure you're all right. I know some doctors who you can absolutely trust."

"I guess." Marissa stood up. She looked away from Hope and said, shyly, "Is it okay if I get changed first?"

Paige stared at the paper on her desk for about the millionth time. _Okay, _she thought, _this is it. Sign this paper and you won't have to see JJ ever again._

She reached for a pen, but stopped as Eve came out of the bedroom. "You're here late today, baby," Eve said. "Now I hate to see you moping around and not going to class over some boy."

"He wasn't just some boy, Mom," Paige said. "I thought I loved him."

Eve sighed. She played with Paige's braids the way she had when Paige was a little girl and said, "Come here, sweetheart." Paige seemed reluctant, but she followed her to the couch.

Eve took Paige's hands in her own and said, "I tried so hard to protect you from this, baby girl, but you might as well realize now that no man is worth it. You know what I went through with all those men including your daddy. But don't you let this get you down. You just keep going to class and getting those grades that come so easy to you, and soon enough you'll be on your way to Stanford."

"Mom - "

"Or if not Stanford, somewhere else full of smart people doing amazing things. You have a bright future ahead of you, and you can't let someone like JJ Deveraux stop you from getting everything you deserve." Eve glanced at the paper Paige was still holding in her hand. "What's this, baby?"

"It's nothing. It's just…"

"A drop form? Isn't it a little late in the semester to be changing your classes around?"

"It's no big deal, Mom. I'll have to take a W, but - "

"No big deal? No, my little girl is not getting a W. No way, no how. Now come on, music is supposed to be your fun class. I know you love it, so why would you even consider dropping it?" Eve's face hardened. "It's that JJ, isn't it? He's in there. Honey, if he's bothering you - "

"He's not."

"He'd better not be."

"It's not that JJ's doing anything wrong," Paige said slowly. "It's just that we used to sit in the front of the class together, so right now I'd rather not see him, okay?"

"Then let him drop the class. A W won't make any difference to him."

"My mind is made up. I need more time to focus on my internship anyway." Paige got up. "I'll see you later, Mom."

Paige hurried out of the apartment before Eve could say anything else. While she waited for the elevator, she stared at the other paper she had printed out. _Thank God Mom didn't see this before I've made up my mind, _she thought.

Nicole Walker had just sat down with a cup of coffee when her boss called to talk to her about the new guy she had just interviewed for the internship position. The guy had seemed nice enough, and definitely knew his stuff, but something about him was off, and she couldn't figure out what it was.

"Miles," she said in a falsely bright tone. "I'm waiting for a call back from my source at the police station, but believe me, this one is worth the wait. How does an exclusive on a crime wave that the cops don't want us to know about sound? You're right, that title needs work-can't win them all. What?"

Daniel came into the coffee shop just then. Nicole waved him over while she continued trying to get rid of Miles. "Yes, Miles, I interviewed two more internship candidates. Yeah, that first guy would make decent eye candy. Okay, I'm lying-he'd make great eye candy. But I'm not sure he can produce the stories to match, and what's a pretty face without any talent, right?" Miles yelled at her through the phone that he wanted the internship filled by the end of the week. "I don't think I heard you right," Nicole said. "I think you might want this done by Friday. Don't worry, I'm on it." She hung up.

"Sorry about that," Nicole said. "You know how Miles gets. He's like an angry dog with a bone all the time."

"I get that." Daniel smiled at Nicole, and she felt like she could breathe more easily. "So what's the bone you're trying to wrest away from him this time?"

"You don't want to know, believe me." Nicole sighed. "He's got it in his head that it'll be good for our image to hire some college kid to get in my way and blow it with all of my sources."

"What, an intern?"

"Yep. I don't know why he didn't just try to buy Will Horton back from Hollywood. After all, he keeps saying we have an image to keep up, so Will's tell-all exposes would fit in, don't you think?"

"I'm gonna go with the words you hate to hear: no comment." Daniel flashed a smile at Nicole.

"You're a big help."

"I try."

"You should see what I have to work with," Nicole said. "This last guy that came in knew all the right things to say. It was like he ate a textbook on how to ace reporter job interviews, but if he came across a story that somehow didn't make it into his class notes, he'd have no idea what to do. And he was the best one yet." Nicole tapped her pen on the table. "Hey, could you do me a favor?"

"Uh oh."

"It doesn't involve hiding any evidence, I swear." Nicole laughed, but Daniel didn't. "Too soon?"

"Just a little." Daniel sipped his coffee. "What's up?"

"Next time you see JJ, do you think you can sell him on the idea that pursuing a journalism internship will add depth to his future musical tours? I know reporting isn't really his thing, but he has good instincts, and so far these other jokers wouldn't know a story if it came running up to them wearing the words EXCLUSIVE SCOOP."

Daniel's phone rang just then. He glanced at it, frowning. "I gotta take this. It's Parker's preschool." He picked it up. "Hello? Yeah, this is Parker's dad. What? Nah, it's probably nothing to be concerned about, but I'll come get him now."

"Is Parker okay?" Nicole asked when Daniel got off the phone.

"I think so. He said he felt dizzy during circle time, but he probably just needs some extra time with his dad before he leaves for Chloe's tomorrow. Sometimes the day before he gets a little clingy." Daniel's phone buzzed again as he stood up. He glanced at it. "You gotta be kidding me. It's been quiet all day and they're paging me now?" He sighed. "Nicole, I hate to ask you, but I don't see any way around this. I'm gonna have to bring Parker to the hospital with me; do you think you could keep him entertained in the waiting room til I get done?"

"Of course. You know I love that little guy." Nicole grabbed her purse and threw it over her shoulder so she could follow Daniel out of the coffee shop.

JJ got to the music building early on purpose so he could play his guitar. He liked the feel of the auditorium. Before he and Paige had broken up, she'd sat listening to him play and he thought he might actually be good enough to be up on the stage someday.

Probably not, he thought now, but playing in the auditorium still was totally different than playing in his bedroom or even in the living room at home.

As he tuned up, this guy Jeff came in and slid into the seat next to him. JJ did his best to ignore him. Playing in front of people he didn't know well made him nervous. He took his time tuning each string to an app on his phone, hoping Jeff would go away before he began playing for real.

"Did you hear about that girl who got attacked?" Jeff asked.

"No."

"Really? The cops were all over it. You couldn't get into the dorms, that's why I'm here so early. Apparently some guy broke into this girl's room, tied her up and trashed the place. Your mom's cousin was nosing around looking for the guy and so was this big Hispanic cop."

"Dude," JJ said, running his thumb over the strings. "That's terrible. What're you so happy about it for?"

"I'm not," Jeff protested. "It's just that campus is so quiet. This story has exclusive written all over it, and if I can crack it, I'll impress that ice-cold bitch who interviewed me for the journalism internship. I could tell she didn't want to give me a second thought, but when she sees what I can do, she'll know she misjudged me." Jeff put his backpack down. "You have an in with your cousin-think you can get me an interview about this robbery?"

"I don't think so," JJ said quickly. He put away his tuning app. "You, uh, you didn't happen to catch the girl's name who got robbed, did you?"

"Marissa somebody. I never heard of her."

JJ said nothing else. Relief washed over him that it wasn't Paige who had got robbed, though he played it cool, strumming his guitar like he wasn't thinking about his ex-girlfriend at all.

Paige was, just then, walking across campus with Daphne. She'd been spending a lot of time with Daphne since the breakup; even though she didn't know the other girl that well, she appreciated her company, and Daphne had never once said a word against JJ when they were dating.

"So did you give any more thought to moving into my room?" Daphne asked.

Paige sighed. "I was all set to sign the papers this morning, but… wasn't that girl who got attacked living in your dorm?"

"Yeah, but that was an aberration." Daphne hugged a book to her chest. "Come on, Paige, it would be so much fun, plus it would get you away from your mom's prying eyes. That way next time you meet someone, she can't fill your head with doubts."

"What happened between me and JJ wasn't about my mom. I mean, yeah, she didn't help, but in the end JJ just had too much baggage and I wasn't ready to help him deal with it, you know?"

"That's too bad. I thought you guys made a cute couple."

Paige glanced up at the trees as the girls walked through the wooded area behind Daphne's dorm. "It's too nice a day out to talk about things that weren't meant to be," she said.

"You still going to drop that class you share with him?"

"I never really wanted to take Music Theory anyway. I just couldn't get into anything else."

"If you say so."

Paige bit her lip. She really wanted to move in with Daphne, but she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. She clutched the drop form tightly in her hand as the girls made their way towards the music room so she could get the teacher's signature.

Nicole had asked someone to bring some toys to the waiting room for Parker, but he wasn't really playing. Instead, he sat half on the chair next to Nicole, holding a toy truck and leaning against her while he moved it slowly back and forth.

"Still not feeling good, huh?" Nicole put her arm around Parker. He shook his head and she said, "Your daddy will be back soon."

"Nik…" Parker said. "Where's Jennifer?"

Nicole's eyes widened. She didn't know what Daniel had told Parker about the breakup with Jen, and even she knew better than to explain how much better off both Daniel and his son were without that wanna-be saint in their lives. "Well," she said, "she's not here. But you know who is here? Good old Aunt Nicole. You and me always have a good time, right? And soon your daddy's gonna be all done fixing up whoever it is who needs his help right now, and he's gonna spend the whole rest of the day with you."

Parker made a loud, wheezing sound like he was about to start crying. Nicole pulled him onto her lap. "Don't take it so hard, sweetheart," she said. "I know I can't compare with Jennifer but - " She cut herself off; Parker's heart felt like it was beating super fast under her fingertips. "Oh my God," Nicole said under her breath. Parker was still crying, only it wasn't crying...he was gasping for breath.

Nicole's brain didn't know what to do, but her body moved by itself, scooping Parker up, running to the nurse's station. "He's not… he's not breathing right. Help him." The nurse on duty seemed to Nicole to be moving too slowly. "Don't just stand there! Get him on oxygen or something!" The nurse picked up the phone and announced some code or other, then two emergency workers came running to the front desk. For a second Nicole got confused and hugged Parker tight, not wanting them to take her baby away, then Maxine said to her, "The doctors can't work on him with you squeezing him so tight, Nicole." and she came back to the present, realizing she wasn't holding her dead baby boy but a barely alive, struggling to breathe four year old that she was supposed to be watching for just a few minutes.

"Sorry," Nicole mumbled as they loaded Parker onto a gurney and started checking his vitals. "For a minute I thought…" One of the emergency workers leaned over and said to Parker, "Can you talk, buddy?" and Nicole said quickly, without thinking, "He won't talk to strangers." The emergency workers hooked Parker up to some machines and rolled him down the hall. Nicole watched him go.

Maxine touched her shoulder and she flinched. "I thought you might like to know that your quick thinking probably saved that boy's life."

"He's all alone in there," Nicole said, still dazed. "Daniel's with a patient and probably doesn't even know and if he comes to, he won't know who anyone is or what's happening."

"_When_ he comes to," Maxine said firmly, "he'll see at least one familiar face because you're gonna be right there with him. Now don't you worry about Daniel. I'll track him down and get him over there as soon as possible. In the meantime, you go into the ICU and if anyone gives you a hard time, you just tell them Maxine told you to come.".

"So what do you say?" Jeff said. "If I get this exclusive, I can find out for you who the girl was, so you can, you know, make sure she's all right."

JJ, not liking the way Jeff said that, said, "I told you, my cousin isn't gonna tell me anything, and she sure as hell isn't gonna tell YOU."

Just then, the auditorium door opened. JJ automatically turned his head to see who was coming in. When he saw it was Paige, he turned around again and began playing quickly to make it look like he hadn't noticed her.

"Guess your ex is back from the dead," Jeff said. JJ pretended not to hear.

Paige walked up to the front of the room, holding herself very straight and tall, walking slowly. JJ couldn't help thinking that she was one classy woman. _Too classy for me, _he reminded himself. He strained to hear what Paige was saying to the teacher, though he didn't know why he cared.

"Paige," the teacher said. "I'm glad to have you back with us. I was worried."

"Actually," Paige said, "I've been thinking about it, and I've decided this class isn't really for me. I know it's late in the semester, but I was hoping you would sign my drop form." She glanced behind her, and JJ was sure she'd seen him looking at her. He watched her take her signed form back, wondering if he should say something to her as she passed by again. No. It was over, so what was the point of saying anything?

Paige left the classroom. JJ watched the door swing closed. He put his guitar down and slumped down in his seat. There was no point in playing now.

Hope's mind was on Marissa the whole way back to the station. She had left the girl in good hands at the hospital, and she just hoped her intuition was wrong and that Marissa hadn't been lying about her attacker stopping short of rape.

Now she and Rafe were in her office, discussing the case, and she was glad, because getting into cop mode stopped her from ruminating on how her victim was doing.

"So, what do you think?" Rafe asked her.

"I didn't really get any good information out of the victim. The poor girl was too shaken up. No real description of the guy, no ideas about anyone who could have done this to her, and she lives alone. Did you get anything useful out of the security guy?"

"He was mainly concerned about what parents will think if this makes it onto the 6 o'clock news." Rafe sighed. "Besides he didn't see much of anything. He got a bunch of noise complaints, contacted the resident assistant, and she came over and found the girl. She called him, he came and took a look, then called us."

"You don't think he - "

"I didn't get that sense, though we can't rule him out." Rafe consulted his notes one more time. "He just seems like a guy who's in over his head. Most of what campus security deals with over there is petty little things. Kids fighting, underage drinking, that sort of thing. The only reason he called us was he's never dealt with anything this major and wanted to make sure it was handled right. He kept saying that he thought maybe someone wandered in from off campus, and that could have been to deflect suspicion, but I got more of a sense that he didn't want to believe that someone who actually goes to school there is capable of this kind of violence."

"So basically we have nothing." Hope looked through her notes. "I told Kayla to call me as soon as Marissa's examination is complete. When I do, I'll head over to the hospital and talk to her again, but I don't think I'll get much out of her. I'll try to get a list of her friends and then we can split that up."

"In the meantime, I'll look through recent unsolved cases and see if there's anything that matches this scenario. Maybe we'll get lucky and this guy will have struck before."

The office phone rang. Hope picked it up. "Salem PD, Brady." She frowned. "What? Yes, of course, we'll be there right away."

"Kayla done with the girl?"

"No," Hope said. "There's been another robbery in the dorms."

Kayla had called Marlena in for a consult after she had finished examining Marissa. "The good news is," she told Marlena, "there's no signs of trauma in the genital area, so she hasn't been raped. But what happened to her obviously isn't good, so I thought I should bring you in prior to releasing her."

"Of course," Marlena said. "Why don't you introduce me to her, since you've already built rapport with her? That way she knows you're turning her over to someone she can trust."

Marlena followed Kayla into the hospital room. "Marissa," Kayla said, "this is Dr. Marlena Evans, our head psychiatrist. I wanted her to talk to you for a few minutes about - "

"A shrink?" Marissa said. "Thank you, Dr. Brady, but no thanks. I don't need to talk about what happened to me. It's over and done with."

"I can understand that," Marlena said, sitting down near Marissa. Kayla left the room to give them some privacy. "But you know, Marissa, you're a young woman away from home for the first time and you suffered a very violent attack. It's important to know that there are people you can go to for support. You don't have to deal with this alone."

"If you really understood, you'd leave me alone." Marissa crossed her arms. "I don't need support, I don't need pity, all I need is to see the cops haul in the guy who did this to me and throw him in a cell, okay? Now go away and tell Dr. Brady to let me go back to my dorm so I can go on with my life."

Rory didn't bother to show up to English class, which meant he was probably off somewhere smoking a joint. Figured, JJ thought. He barely paid attention during class either; while Dr. K droned on and on he put his mind to work coming up with a plan to make sure Rory didn't get himself expelled.

By the time class ended, a dim idea had formed in his mind. He had a feeling about where Rory was, and the first step in his plan had to be to find out what his friend was up to.

Instead of going through campus proper, JJ cut through the woods behind the dorms. There was a place in the middle of the woods where someone had cut down a bunch of trees, and Rory and the other stoners went out there a lot. JJ knew because Rory kept trying to get him to come.

He was halfway there when his cousin Hope called his name. _Dammit, _JJ thought. Hope had her badge and gun, which meant she was here on official police business, and even though he wasn't doing anything wrong, he didn't want to talk to the cops right now, or anytime, really.

"Hey, Hope," JJ said, trying to smile.

She didn't smile back. "What are you doing in these woods?"

"Taking a shortcut to the English office."

"Well, don't. It's not safe-someone's already broken into the dorms twice and for all we know he's hiding out here."

"Twice?" JJ's heart beat fast. "Who… who got hit the second time?"

Hope looked him up and down, but then her face softened and she said, "I don't think it was anyone you know, honey. But have you seen anything suspicious, anyone around here who doesn't seem to belong?"

JJ thought about it for a second. "Nobody."

"Okay then. Get back to campus." As JJ reluctantly turned around and headed back towards the main buildings, Hope called after him, "And JJ?" He turned his head and she said, "Be careful, okay? This guy could be anywhere, so keep your guard up."

Nicole sat with Parker for what seemed like forever. There was an oxygen tube slipped into his little nose now and he was hooked up to a heart monitor. The display glowed an eerie green that Nicole couldn't stand looking at.

Parker's eyes were closed; he was resting, the nurse had said, but Nicole wished he would wake up.

"Come on," she said under her breath. "Where's your daddy already?"

The door opened then and Maxine came in, followed by Daniel. Nicole stood up. "Daniel, hi. I'm glad you're here. I'm sure Parker is too, or he will be when he wakes up."

"What happened?" Daniel asked.

Nicole shrugged. "One minute he was fine, the next his heart was beating at a thousand beats a minute and he was gasping for breath."

"We're gonna have a cardiologist take a look at him," Maxine told Daniel, "as soon as you sign off on it."

"Okay," Daniel said. "Order a pulmonologist consult too. Maybe whatever happened started in his lungs. I'm thinking an asthma attack and then he just got scared. Also, I'll want a full blood panel in case he picked up some kind of infection that's causing all this."

"Yes, doctor. I'll get the paperwork started right away." Maxine left the room.

"How long has he been out?" Daniel asked Nicole.

"Maybe half an hour." Nicole patted Daniel's shoulder. "He tired himself out fighting the EMTs. The tubes and equipment scared him and he didn't want them touching him."

"Yeah, I bet they did." Daniel sighed. "I guess I'd better call Chloe, let her know what's up."

"Right now?"

"She's his mother, Nicole. She has a right to know her son's in the hospital."

"I know that. But what about you, Daniel? You just got off work, got this terrible news, and you don't get a minute to just be with your son?" Nicole pulled out the chair. "Sit."

"I can't. There are people I gotta notify… and I gotta check on his test results… and confirm for once and for all that this was nothing serious."

"Nothing serious? Daniel - "

"I gotta do something, Nicole! Parker, he was fine this morning and now he's lying in a hospital bed hooked up to a breathing machine. I need to know why. I need to use all my medical know-how, all my expertise, and get him better."

"I understand, believe me I do," Nicole said. "But Daniel - "

"No." Daniel turned his back on Nicole. "Any other patient, I'd go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure they get the best care I can possibly give them. When it comes to my son, I gotta do twice as much."

"She's right, you know," Kayla said from the doorway.

"Kayla." Daniel's manner was professional, his tone of voice even, but he didn't fool Nicole, and she doubted he was fooling Kayla either. "Did we get the test results back already?"

"I think we should talk." Kayla glanced at Nicole. "Would you mind giving us a minute?"

"Yeah. Sure. I have some calls I need to make for work anyway." Nicole kneeled down and kissed the top of Parker's head. "You feel better, little guy, you hear?" She couldn't help squeezing Daniel's shoulder on the way out of the room.

The door swung closed behind Nicole. Daniel waited for Kayla to say something, but she just stood there, clutching Parker's chart close to her chest and trying to smile.

Rory was sitting on the grass outside some campus building or other with Bev. He couldn't tell the buildings apart, especially not when he was high.

"So I heard you talked to JJ," Bev said.

"Yeah."

"Let me guess. It was a waste of your breath, he's too good to help us, blah blah blah. Loser."

Rory giggled. "You're the one who's in love with him."

"Was in love with him. After Paige dumped him, he didn't come running back to me like he should. I finally realized he's not worth my time. And soon you will too."

Rory turned the other way, not really wanting to deal with Bev and this conversation. She was ruining his high. He thought he saw JJ in the distance, going into one of the buildings.

Bev turned her head too, to see where Rory was looking. "That's the English building. I bet he's going to go narc to Dr. K about you."

"We'll see about that," Rory said.

"Want me to come with you?"

"Nah, I can handle it myself." Rory ran off. Bev watched him go, then went off in the same direction. Her phone buzzed. She cursed under her breath as she glanced at it, then turned and ran the other way.

Paige spent the whole bus ride home thinking about what Daphne had said. It would hurt her mom for her to move out… but if she had gone to Stanford, her mom would have just had to deal with it. Plus, Daphne was right. Her mom's voice was too much in her head, and that had messed up things with her and JJ.

JJ. She'd rearranged her whole life so she wouldn't have to see him anymore and remember who she once thought he was to her. If she moved to the dorms, she'd be on campus all the time-did that mean she'd run into him more often? He'd looked like he wanted to say something to her today. She was glad she got out of the classroom before he could.

When Paige came in, her mother was pacing around the apartment. "Oh, thank goodness," Eve said. "I was just about to call you to make sure everything was all right."

"What's wrong?" Paige asked, putting her purse down.

"Oh, nothing. Just me being silly, I guess. But it sounds like your ex boyfriend or maybe some of his delinquent friends are up to their old tricks." Eve gestured towards the computer. "Have you seen the news today?"

Paige glanced at the headline. "Three students attacked at Salem U. dorms," she read aloud. "Three? Daphne told me it was only one."

"Your friend wasn't one of them, was she?"

"No. She's fine. But Mom, what do you mean JJ had something to do with this?"

Eve bit her lip. "You just be careful while you're on that campus. I won't have something happening to my baby girl, you understand?"

Paige sighed. "I guess this isn't a good time to bring up that Daphne invited me to live in the dorms with her."

"You're not going to do that, especially not now."

"I was thinking about it. Mom, I'm 18 years old, and if I had gone to Stanford - "

"Stanford would have been different. You'd have been surrounded by a higher caliber of people, baby, and they wouldn't be going around putting knives to people's throats and tying them up."

"Crime happens everywhere, Mom."

"Well, it's a moot point now, because until the police catch whoever it is that's doing this, there's no way I'm letting you live in the dorms."

Paige got that same gleam in her eye that she used to when Eve tried to talk her out of dating JJ. She pulled out her phone.

"Baby, listen to me," Eve said. "I may have been wrong about some things before - "

"A lot of things."

"Be that as it may, I'm not wrong about this. You have far too much sense to go moving into the middle of a crime wave. Come on now. Wait until they have this guy behind bars before you think about moving."

"I guess," Paige said.

"Come on, living with me isn't so bad, now is it? I still owe you that shopping trip and now that you're totally free of certain other influences and my money's come in, you should have plenty of time to - "

"I have to study," Paige said, and went into her room.

Eve sighed as she let herself fall back onto the couch. _I'm only trying to keep you safe, _she thought, _just like I always have._

Dr. K wasn't in his office when JJ knocked, but his door was slightly open. JJ came in to leave him a note.

There were papers strewn all over the desk. Rory's goofy plan wasn't going to work, JJ thought, and he was just going to get himself caught trying. He rifled through the papers, looking for a post it so he could leave a note. As he moved a large pile, something fell out. JJ bent down to pick it up, then did a double take.

It was the exam.

He couldn't help glancing at it. All multiple choice, looked like the questions were about two books they'd read.

He shook his head. He shouldn't be doing this. He reached forward to put the test back…

...and felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. He looked up into the face of that security guard who was always patrolling the campus.

"What do you think you're doing, son?" the security guard said.


	2. Chapter 2

JJ swallowed hard, aware that he looked guilty even though he hadn't done anything. "I was leaving a note for my professor, but he isn't here so - " He started to walk off.

"Hold it," the security guard said. "You're not going anywhere." The guard picked up the exam. "Now, I wasn't born yesterday. I know what an exam looks like and I know you were looking at it."

"I swear," JJ said, "I just knocked it off his desk by mistake and was picking it up."

Neither the guard nor JJ noticed Rory tiptoeing up to the door, which was cracked open. The guard tapped the paper against the desk. "You'd better give me one good reason why I shouldn't detain you for attempted theft of an exam and let the school decide whether to expel you."

Rory's mouth dropped open, but he stood his ground, waiting to see what was going to happen next.

Kayla hugged the file to her chest and looked at Daniel. Her demeanor was professional as always, but Daniel thought he saw her lips tremble slightly.

"So what's the news?" Daniel asked. "Did we get his blood panel back?"

"We haven't taken the samples yet. I wanted to talk to you first." Kayla gave Daniel a semi-smile that he knew all too well. He'd seen her give it to hundreds of patients before delivering bad news.

"Have a seat," Kayla told him.

"I'm okay," Daniel said, crossing his arms. "Just give it to me straight."

"I spoke with the pediatric cardiologist and she wants to do a chest x-ray to see how big Parker's heart is. Depending on what she sees, she might also want to do a CT scan. Now I know that's a lot for such a little guy to go through, but she feels, and I agree, that there's almost definitely something wrong with Parker's heart."

"Are you sure?" Daniel turned towards Parker. "Parker, he gets scared a lot, and sometimes… sometimes when he gets spooked, it's hard for him to breathe. I don't think we can conclude anything until all the tests are in."

"Daniel." Kayla brushed his arm with her fingertips. "Right now you're speaking as if you're Parker's doctor, but you're his father. I know how difficult it is for any parent to hear that their child has a serious health condition, especially us, because we have enough knowledge to convince ourselves that it's really something else."

"I'm not doing that, Kayla. Parker, he could have a whole lot of things going on besides his heart, and I'm just saying, we don't want to overlook anything."

Kayla patted Daniel's shoulder as she pulled out the chair next to Parker's bed. "Let me worry about that."

"So I don't get a consult on my own son's care?"

"Of course I'm going to consult with you, the same way I would with any parent whose child is seriously ill." Kayla pushed her hair behind her ear. "I can't imagine what I would do if Joey was in the hospital. As a doctor, I'd want to do everything I could to get him better, and as a parent I'd be terrified that I couldn't. Daniel, I really think Parker needs you to be his daddy right now. Sit with him. Be there when he wakes up. Hold his hand and tell him it's going to be all right."

Daniel took out his phone. "I guess I'd better call Chloe after all. And, uh, Maggie will want to come see him as much as she can too."

"Yes. Do that."

Daniel sat down next to Parker's bed, holding his phone but not doing anything with it.

"Daniel," Kayla said.

"Yeah?"

"If you need time off to be with Parker or books for him or… or anything at all for him, just ask. It's not a problem."

"Thanks," Daniel mumbled. Kayla patted his shoulder again before leaving the room.

Daniel sat with his phone in his lap, watching Parker breathing through the oxygen mask.

Roman Brady was in his office, trying to make sense of the reports Hope and Rafe had given him about the Salem University robber when a kid wandered into the police station. Roman watched him from his office. The kid was dressed smartly, wearing a pressed white shirt, gray dress pants and a suit jacket to match. He was talking to one of the uniforms, asking if Hope was available.

Roman came out of his office. "Do you have information about a case?" he asked.

The boy turned. "Actually, I'm trying to get information. Jeff Atkins, WTTN TV."

"They're sure taking reporters young these days."

"I'm just an intern," Jeff said. "I work for Nicole Walker; she sent me to get the scoop on this guy who's attacking people over at Salem U."

"And she sent you to harass my uniforms instead of calling me herself?"

"Um…" Jeff was clearly flustered by Roman's manner; his cheeks turned slightly red and he stammered, but he quickly recovered. "Well, see, I go to school there, so she figured I'd have an in. I'd really like to get a quote from Hope Brady, but since she's not available, I guess you'll do."

"Oh yeah?" Roman smiled slightly. "Well you can tell Ms. Walker that the chances of me giving away anything about this case have just gone from slim to none. And if she gives you a hard time, you tell her Commissioner Brady said to go to hell." Roman walked back into his office, leaving Jeff standing there, stunned.

Rory leaned forward, listening as JJ said, "Look, you don't know me, so I get why you think I'm lying, but I'm not. I came in here to ask Dr. K about this stupid novel we're reading, which I totally don't get no matter how many times I read it, and he wasn't here, so I was looking for some paper to write a note. That's all that happened."

The security guard stared at JJ, sizing him up. "I've heard some stories in my day, son. That's the best you can come up with?"

"That's why you should believe me. If I was lying, don't you think I'd come up with something better than that?"

Outside the door, Rory looked around to make sure nobody had seen him. He took a joint and his lighter out of his pocket. He had to flick the lighter a couple of times to get it to light. He heard the school cop tell JJ to have a seat. "Damn it," he said under his breath, flicking the lighter again. This time it ignited, and he was able to light the joint.

Inside the office, the guard wrinkled his nose as the smell of Rory lighting up wafted into the office. JJ noticed it too but did his best not to react. He hated the smell of that stuff now that he'd been off it over a year.

"I'll be right back," the guard told him. "Don't you move."

Rory ducked around the corner and threw the joint down the stairs, then flattened himself against a wall. The guard didn't see him as he ran down the steps.

JJ was sitting in a chair by the door, staring into space, as Rory hurried in. He grinned. "Rory to the rescue, but you can thank me later. Let's get outta here."

Miles called while Nicole was waiting outside Parker's room. "Look, I'm sorry that I haven't gotten past round one of American Idol, journalism school version, but I'm dealing with a medical emer - what? No, I didn't hire an intern behind your back. I barely feel like hiring one that you know about, so why - you know what? Maybe when I'm done finding out whether my friend's son is going to live, I'll rush right back to the office and check my files to see if we even interviewed Jeff."

She slammed the phone down just as Kayla came out of Daniel's room. Nicole put aside her anger to give Kayla what she hoped looked like a sincere smile. "Kayla. How is he?"

"Parker? Or Daniel?"

Nicole shrugged. "Either one."

Kayla sighed. "I can't really talk to you about my patient, even if it's off the record, but I can tell you that Daniel's in for a rough time. I'm glad he has a friend to support him right now." Kayla's phone buzzed. "Excuse me," she said, and walked off.

Nicole hesitated, then opened the door and quietly came into the room. Daniel was on the phone. "I'm sure, Chloe, I'm sure he's gonna be okay, but I thought you should be the first to know. Well, he's sleeping now, but yeah, as soon as he wakes up I will call you back so you can talk to him. Me? I'm okay. No, really, I am. Yeah, I'll keep you posted. Bye."

Daniel hung up the phone. He sighed deeply as he began to put in the next number. Nicole put her hand on his shoulder. "Hey," she said softly. "How are you doing?"

"You too? I'm fine, Nicole. It's this little guy we gotta...we gotta be worried about."

Nicole glanced at Parker. "He's stable, right?"

Daniel nodded. "Though I'll feel a whole lot better when he opens his eyes."

"Same here." Nicole squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do? I can, I don't know, make it all about me and tell you about my crazy boss to distract you. Or I can be uncharacteristically unselfish and go get you some coffee or give you a shoulder to cry on."

"Nah, I'm good."

"No you're not. If you were fine with this, I'd really be worried about you." She turned Daniel's chair slightly. "Talk to me. Tell me how much this sucks, rant about how unfair it is, say whatever you have to say."

"Nicole, I really appreciate what you're trying to do, but really, I'm okay."

"Are you?"

Daniel sighed. "When I gotta give bad news to a patient, Nicole, I try to do it without making them feel like they're gonna fall apart. Parker got sick what, an hour ago? And in that time...in that short span of time everybody's started tiptoeing around, asking me in these soft voices how I'm doing, acting like they expect the answer to be that I'm one step away from shooting myself. So if you wanna help me… just go, Nicole, just go do whatever you would have been doing if Parker wasn't hooked up to a bunch of machines."

Nicole sighed. "I know I'm being a little pushy-" Daniel raised his eyebrows at her. "Okay, a lot pushy. But if anybody knows what it's like to insist you're okay when you're losing your child it's me."

"That," Daniel said, "is completely different. Parker, he's gonna be fine."

"You're right. Of course you're right. I shouldn't have said that. I'm sorry. I was just trying to help."

"I know you were." Daniel got up, glancing at his phone. "I gotta make some calls," he said firmly, "and Nicole, I gotta do it alone."

"Okay, fine. It's really hard for me to tear myself away from the scintillating task of finding an intern who won't destroy my relationship with the Salem Police Department, but if you don't appreciate the sacrifice I'm making…"

Daniel couldn't help smiling. "You have a relationship with the Salem Police Department?"

"Well, it's a work in progress." Nicole smiled too, but then got serious. "Hey, when Parker wakes up, give me a buzz, okay? I'd like to come see this little guy."

Daniel nodded. He got up so that Nicole could hug him. "And you," she said. "Take it easy."

Parker's eyes flickered open, then shut as Daniel sat back down. He sighed as he took the little boy's hand in his own.

"So are you moving in or not?" Daphne asked Paige. The girls were sitting on Daphne's bed; Daphne had insisted on hanging out here to demonstrate that they weren't going to be scared out of doing what they were normally going to do.

"I don't know." Paige sighed. "Don't get me wrong, Daphne, I want to, but…"

"But?"

"My mom doesn't think it's safe. She got really upset, Daphne."

"Of course she did. Paige, she doesn't want you to move out of her house."

Paige's eyes narrowed but Daphne said, "I'm not trying to talk against your mom, Paige, but remember what happened with JJ?"

"This has nothing to do with - "

"Yes, it does. You let your mom's voice way too far into your head and you gave up on the first guy you ever loved, all because of her. Do you really think it's going to be easier when you meet someone else?"

"I don't know." Paige crossed her arms. "If I do this, it's not because I want to get away from my mom, okay? And it's not so I can date. It's just… all my friends are here, and I'm almost 19, so I don't know, isn't this what I'm supposed to do?"

"Gee, don't make me feel so special."

Paige pinched her lips together angrily. Daphne said, "Look, I'm not trying to start a fight. I'm just saying, never mind what your mom wants. If you want to be here, then forget this guy running around trying to terrorize us."

Paige looked at the empty bed on the other side of Daphne's room. She imagined decorating the blank wall above it the way she wanted to, with her jazz musician posters and her inspirational quotes. She'd put her pictures on the empty desk on her side of the room, next to her computer. She'd take only a few outfits to put in the dresser, as she could easily go home to get more clothes, and the top drawer would be for her jewelry box.

"I do want to move in," she said slowly.

"Then do it," Daphne said.

"There's just one thing we have to take care of first." Paige turned towards Daphne. "Come talk to my mom about how safe it is here."

"Paige - "

"No, listen. She won't believe me, she thinks I'm just naive or something. But you live here. So if you tell her it's safe, she'll back off."

Daphne crossed her arms. "Is this really the only way you can get the green light to move in with me? Come on, Paige, isn't it enough that you know that it's safe?"

"You don't know my mom. Once she gets something in her head, she doesn't let go."

"So fight back."

"This is me fighting back, Daphne."

"No, it's not. This is you giving in. If you don't want to move in with me, fine. But don't hide behind your mom's opinions then complain that she's too much in your business. Come on, Paige. You're the one who said that it's time. So are you in or not?"

Rafe and Hope got some mozzarella sticks on their way back from Salem U so that they could fuel themselves for breaking this case. Now they were back in the police station, trying to put everything together. "Okay," Hope said as she grabbed a stick, "what do we know so far?"

"Looks like it's the same guy behind all three crimes," Rafe said. "I mean, it could be a copycat, but same M.O on all three? What are the chances?"

"Right. By now rumors are probably spreading like wildfire, especially since we've been there all day, but I'm sure there's some things only the perp knows."

"Yeah, like his identity." Rafe sighed. "Different dorms, different age students, and so far not one of the victims knows the others. So I'm thinking, he's striking randomly. But somehow I can't shake the feeling that that's what he wants us to think."

Hope's phone buzzed. She glanced down at it. "Well, maybe we'll know more in a little while. Kayla just gave me the go ahead to interview Marissa again."

Roman stuck his head out of his office just then. "Hope. Rafe. Glad I caught you both."

"I'm about to go interview a victim," Hope said.

"Well, glad I got to you before you left then. Both of you in my office. Now."

When JJ and Rory got out of the building, Rory said, "What do you say we hit up the stoner circle in the woods?"

"No, man, that's not a good idea."

"Dude, come on. This stuff just saved your life! Look, you don't have to smoke if you don't want to. Just hang out, like old times."

"No, it's not that. The woods are crawling with cops, dude. They think that guy who's robbing the dorms is hiding out there."

"All the more reason to go. Listen. We catch this guy for them, we're heroes. They won't care how lit up we are then."

"Rory - "

"All right, fine. Forget it." Rory started to stomp off.

JJ followed him even though he was going towards the woods. "Dude! What's your problem?"

"What do you think?" Rory turned around, his eyes blazing. "I had your back in there, man, even though you totally went behind mine."

"What?"

"You went all high and mighty telling me how cheating's so wrong, acting like you would never do anything like that. You put on a good show, man. You even had me believing it. But you were really just out for yourself, going to steal the exam and cut me out of it."

"You know what," JJ said, "think what you want. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have even been in that office in the first place. I was scouting it out to see if your idea was even gonna work, and guess what? It's not. I did you a favor, man."

"That's what you think, dude. You know why you got caught, JJ? Cause you were stupid. I'd be way smarter about it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you think you're so smart just cause you don't get high anymore, but I got news for you. If it wasn't for me and Kurt, you'd have had no one to bail you out with Theresa, and who was it who was by your side the whole time you were dating Paige, trying to make you see how wrong she was for you? And now I threw away a piece of my best weed just to save your ass again. I may not be the smartest guy in the world, but at least I have the sense to know who my friends are." Rory pulled his backpack over one shoulder. "See you around, dude." He stormed off.

"Rory!" JJ shouted, but Rory was gone. JJ pulled off his backpack and threw it at the woods. It landed right at the edge; he heard a crack. He could feel people staring at him as he went to go pick it up.

Victor came up behind Maggie as she was packing her overnight bag. He put his hand on her shoulder and said softly in her ear, "If only we could get away together somewhere."

Maggie smiled as he kissed the back of her neck, then turned towards him. "A tempting offer," she said. She put her arms around Victor. "I really hate to leave you, but I'm sure we can live without each other for just one night."

"I'll try, but it won't be easy." Victor smiled back. "But what I don't understand is why JJ Deveraux spending his time hitting the books is such a crisis. The boy's finally putting his nose to the grindstone. Jennifer should be celebrating, not inviting you to join her in a panic attack."

"Oh, it's not JJ I'm worried about," Maggie said, folding a sweater and putting it into the bag. "It's Jennifer."

"Jennifer? For goodness sake, that woman was an investigative reporter once. She's faced down madmen in the jungles of Africa, been held hostage more times than you can count without blinking an eye, and look at what she put up with with that husband of hers. Surely she can survive her adult son deciding to make a life for himself that doesn't include spending every waking minute with her."

"Jack Deveraux had his wild side," Maggie said evenly, "but somehow he and Jennifer made it work. Ever since he died, she hasn't been herself. Oh, she's had periods of stability, but especially now that Daniel insists on moving on - "

"As he should have, all things considered. If she's throwing this kind of fit about JJ spending some extra time with his schoolbooks, I can't imagine how smothered Daniel must have felt. He must have been turning blue from oxygen deprivation every time he got around her."

"Jennifer has seemed lost since Jack died," Maggie said, "like she's just drifting through life, waiting for the next big adventure that's never going to come and lashing out at the world for not giving it to her. Who knows, maybe a girls' night in will help her center herself on something other than JJ."

"Always the optimist. That's why I love you."

Maggie and Victor kissed. Just then Maggie's phone buzzed. She pulled away reluctantly and answered it. "Daniel, hi. We - what? No, of course I want to be there right away. I'm sure Victor will too, but you can ask him yourself if you want; he's right here. Oh, all right. Yes, we will be there as soon as we can."

She got off the phone and turned towards Victor. "It looks like Jennifer is going to have to wait," she said, her eyes wide and wet with tears. "Parker's in the hospital, and it sounds serious."

In Roman's office, Rafe seemed more at ease sitting across from Roman than Hope did; despite the fact that Roman was her brother-in-law, or maybe because of it, Hope always felt like she was being judged, and she didn't like it.

"You two wanna tell me what you've been saying to the press? First someone wrote this-" Roman practically threw his tablet down on the table; he had an article open whose headline practically screamed that there had been three attacks-"and then we got some doe eyed kid in here sniffing around, asking all sorts of questions, and he seemed to know that Hope here was on the case."

"I haven't said anything," Rafe said, "and I'm sure Hope didn't either. Come on, Roman, we're working a case on a college campus. Kids see us snooping around, they start telling stories about why we're there."

"Yeah, well, I hope that all it is. I don't think I need to tell either of you how high profile this case is. Now I've read the reports, and I see that campus security made it very clear that they don't want this on the news. Now if this drags out too long, we might have no choice but to make a statement, but for now… if you see the press, you keep your mouths shut. And if either of you has any press contacts-" Roman glanced at Rafe-"and yes, I'm talking about your friendship with Nicole Walker-you tell them to call off their dogs until we're good and ready to make a statement. Is that clear?"

Rafe and Hope both nodded. "Is that all?" Hope said, irritation creeping into her voice.

"Actually, there's something else I want to discuss with you, Hope. Rafe, give us a minute, will ya?"

"Of course." Rafe left, closing the door behind him.

Hope crossed her arms. Roman looked her up and down and said, "I can't help thinking, Hope, that for some reason this case strikes close to home."

"No more than any other case."

"You're already putting a lot of hours in and as we get closer to catching this guy it's just gonna get worse. You up for it?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You got a little girl at home, and a hotshot defense attorney you're dating. Neither of them's gonna wait for you forever, Hope."

Hope reddened. She glanced at her phone and said, "Neither is this vic. I'd better go interview her while the details of the attack are fresh in her mind. Excuse me."

Paige went to Club TBD to think things over, though why she went there she wasn't sure. The whole place felt like JJ to her. She remembered sitting with him here, telling him she loved him, talking about how they would always be together…

She sighed and stirred her water with her straw.

"You look like you could use something a little bit stronger," somebody said. Paige looked up from her water at T, who was standing there giving her a goofy grin. He was cute, Paige thought, and then banished the thought to the back of her mind. Cute didn't work out so well.

"I don't drink," Paige said.

"Of course not." T was still grinning. "You're too young. But hey, can I convince you to live dangerously and get a soda?" His eyes sparkled and his voice dropped to a whisper. "Or maybe even a burger." Paige scrunched up her face at him and he said, "No? Well then how about some conversation at least?"

"Could you just leave me alone?"

T looked crushed. "Yeah. No problem." He started to walk away.

Paige sighed. "Wait, come back here." T turned and she said, "Look, I'm sorry. It's just that between my mom, and my friend, and my ex-boyfriend, the world is kind of weighing down on me. But I shouldn't have taken it out on you just because I don't know how to make a decision."

"No. You shouldn't have." T pulled out the other chair. "I'll give you a chance to make it up to me, though."

"Yeah? How?"

"Rumor has it that I'm a pretty good listener, so lay it on me."

Paige's eyes narrowed. "Why are you being so nice to me? I hardly even know you."

"Maybe that's what your problem is," T said. "You can't fathom someone being nice to you just to be nice." He got up. "I gotta get back to work now. Good luck with… well, whatever it is you're upset about." He walked off, leaving Paige to stare into her water and think things over.

When Hope walked into Marissa's hospital room, the bed was empty. She cursed under her breath and turned to leave. Maxine was coming in.

"Maxine," Hope said. "What happened to the girl who was in this room?"

"That poor girl who got attacked at Salem U, you mean? She signed herself out. Said she didn't see a need to wait around anymore and that she was putting this behind her." Maxine sighed. "I sure wish she'd stuck around some. I'm not supposed to say this, but between you and me, Dr. Evans wasn't pleased she left. She hasn't got herself together nearly as much as she thinks. How could she, after an attack like that?"

"Nobody could," Hope agreed. "Any idea where she went?"

"Probably back to that dorm room of hers. She seemed real anxious to get back to where she'd been before all this happened."

"Thanks." Hope took off in the other direction.

After Rory left, JJ texted Daniel, but he didn't feel like hanging around school while he waited for a response. He had too much pent up energy that he needed to get out of his system before he did something he was going to regret later.

He did what he always did when he felt like this. He went to Horton Town Square and looked at the bookstore window that he had broken that time he went crazy. He hated that he'd done it, but he forced himself to relive it whenever he was upset so that he would never, ever do something like that again.

"A dollar for your thoughts," a girl behind him said.

"What?" JJ didn't turn around. He pretended not to be trying to see the girl's reflection in the window; he really wanted to be left alone right now. The girl was sitting on the edge of the flowers in the middle of the square, swinging her long legs. Her dark hair was tied into a high ponytail and her big eyes were staring right at the back of JJ's head.

The girl smiled. "It's only supposed to be a penny, but inflation, you know." She got up off the flowerbed and moved towards JJ. "Anyway, the inside of your head looks like a place I'd like to be. What's up?"

JJ shook his head. "You don't want to be there, believe me."

"Hey, if you're gonna invite me to a pity party, at least turn around so you can do it to my face."

JJ sighed. "You're not gonna leave me alone, are you?"

"I've never been known to be like that before. Even the guy who attacked me had to gag me to shut me up."

JJ did a double take. He turned around to tell the girl-he tried to remember whether anyone ever said what her name was, but he couldn't-that he was sorry for what had happened to her even though he didn't want to talk right now. She said, standoffishly, "I knew that would get your attention."

"I feel terrible for what happened to you," JJ mumbled.

The girl shrugged. "Don't be. Unless you're the guy who did it."

"No. I'd never - "

"Just kidding. But no worries. At least I get to see what you look like. I'm Marissa, by the way."

"JJ."

They shook hands, awkwardly, and then Marissa said, "So seriously, JJ, you look like you're in just as bad shape as me. What's going on?"

"Look, Marissa, it's a long story - "

"I have time."

" - and honestly, last time I met a girl in Horton Town Square it turned out to be a total nightmare, one that I just got free of, so no offense, but I'd rather keep my thoughts to myself."

"That's cool." Marissa shifted her weight. "But how about we go get some yogurt or something? I won't make you say a word, I swear." JJ sighed and Marissa said, leaning in close, "Look, if you want I'll tell you every sordid detail of my attack. That always seems to be a conversation starter." JJ didn't respond and Marissa said, "Come on, what do I need to do to get you to come sit with me?"

"It's not you," JJ said, forcing himself to remember how things had ended with Paige so he wouldn't make the mistake of getting caught up in this new girl's enthusiasm. "It's, look, there's stuff about me that turns off any decent girl, and I learned that the hard way. So right now I, uh… I gotta go."

"Ooh, intriguing," Marissa said. "Well, if you change your mind, I'll be over there waiting to hear all about you. See you around, JJ." She gave JJ a quick smile before she turned and walked off.

Jennifer was in her office working on a press release when Maggie stuck her head in.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Maggie asked.

"Of course not, Aunt Maggie. I wasn't even supposed to be working today, but I wanted to get ahead on some things that aren't being announced for a couple of weeks."

"And it gets you out of the house."

Jen pretended not to hear as she continued typing, but her lips thinned.

"Well," Maggie said. "I know I already texted you about changing our plans but I thought you deserved an explanation in person."

"No explanation needed." Jen deliberately avoided looking at Maggie. "If this has something to do with Daniel, it's really not my business anymore, Aunt Maggie. So go do whatever you need to do for him. It's not like tomorrow is the last day that JJ is going to sneak out of the house before I'm awake."

Maggie watched Jen typing for a second, squeezing her hands together while she thought about what she wanted to say. Then she said, quietly, "Listen to me, Jennifer Rose. This isn't about you, and it isn't about Daniel either. And it certainly isn't about who I care about more now that you two have decided to go your separate ways. So hold your fire, and while you're at it, do me the courtesy of closing your computer screen for just a minute and listening to what I have to say."

Jen hesitated, but something in Maggie's voice worried her, and she got up from her computer and came around to the other side of the desk. "Aunt Maggie, what is it?" she asked, sitting down next to her. "You're not sick, are you?"

"Not me," Maggie said. "And no, not Victor either." She sighed. "I don't know whether Daniel would want you to know or not, but since you used to be a big part of Parker's life, I might as well go ahead. Earlier today, Parker collapsed. He's down the hall in the pediatric ICU."

Jen's eyes widened. She blinked back tears. "Do they know what's wrong with him?"

Maggie shook her head. "Daniel didn't say. But maybe, just maybe you can put aside all your animosity for a little while so that we can all focus on that little boy getting better."

Hope spied Marissa across the square, eating frozen yogurt, and was about to approach her when Eve Donovan came out of a store and said. "Detective Brady! I am so glad I caught you."

"I'm sorry, Eve, but unless you have information about a case, I'm going to have to ask you to excuse me." Hope kept walking.

Eve walked in front of her, blocking her path. "Now look," she said, "I know we've had our differences in the past, mostly because of your loyalty to your stuck-up cousin Jennifer and her no-good son, but that doesn't change the fact that you have to protect everybody, now does it?"

Hope looked over Eve's shoulder to make sure Marissa was still at the yogurt place. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, my daughter Paige-you know her, bright girl, got into Stanford, is making a good impression on Kayla Brady over at the hospital-anyway, she has got this crazy idea in her head that she wants to move into the dorms. Now, ordinarily I wouldn't have any problem with my baby moving on, but with this crime wave - "

"Hold it. Who said there was a crime wave?"

"Oh come on, Hope. I read the papers. Besides, Paige told me that some poor girl was attacked, and I know how these things go. Anyway, you know how teenage girls are-she won't listen to me about why this is a bad idea, so I thought if you gave her a little talking to about safety maybe she'd see reason."

Hope bit her lip. She didn't want to give in to Eve's nonsense, but at the same time Paige did need to know how to protect herself on campus. After all, JJ wasn't the only kid who thought cutting through the woods behind the dorms was a good idea.

"Oh come on," Eve said. "If your little Ciara was old enough to go to Salem U, wouldn't you move heaven and Earth to keep her safe?"

"If I see Paige I will talk to her," Hope said, leaving out what she actually planned to say. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have official police business over there." She walked off quickly before Eve could say another word.

Parker was awake when Maggie came into the room. "Grandma," he said. He was even harder to understand than usual.

"I am so glad you're up," Maggie said, pasting on a fake smile. She kissed the top of Parker's head before turning to Daniel. "How's he doing?"

Daniel glanced at Parker. "Maybe you oughta ask Kayla. She's running a bunch of tests to make sure his heart and lungs and everything are as strong as they need to be."

Maggie frowned. "And you?"

"I'm okay." Daniel hit his phone against his palm. "Actually, I'm glad you're here, Mom. Can you sit with Parker for an hour or so? I gotta take care of something."

"Daniel, I hope you're not trying to take care of too many patients while Parker - "

"Parker's gonna be fine," Daniel told her, firmly. "I can't put my life on hold, Mom. There are other people depending on me too, and I gotta be there for them. I will be back as quick as I can, believe me, I don't wanna spend one more minute than I have to away from Parker."

"Then don't. I know you care about your patients, Daniel, but they're not family. Can't another doctor - "

"This IS family!" Daniel hated getting loud in front of Parker, and he also hated having to tell Maggie any of his business, but sometimes it was the only way to get her to back off. "JJ, he needs to talk to me about something, and I'm not - "

"But sweetheart, I'm sure JJ will understand that you have a family emergency. Can't you tell him - "

"Mom. Stop. Can you please just sit with Parker til I get back?" Daniel moved past her to kiss the top of Parker's head. "I'll be back as soon as I can, buddy. I promise." He started to leave the room, then stood in the doorway watching Parker. He sighed deeply before he finally left.

Marissa looked up from her vanilla frozen yogurt as Hope approached her table. "Detective Brady," she said uncertainly. "Hi."

"May I sit down?" Hope asked.

"You weren't exactly who I was hoping would ask that, but sure, go ahead."

"I'm guessing you have your eye on some boy," Hope commented.

Marissa shrugged.

"Who is he?" Hope asked, thinking that maybe this was her way into getting Marissa to trust her enough to answer her questions.

"If you think the guy who did this to me is my boyfriend, he isn't. I don't have one, and I'd never seen the monster before."

"I wasn't thinking that at all. I was just curious, that's all."

"Look, Detective Brady, I'm not stupid, and I know you're not my friend. I've pretty much told you everything I know already, so I'm not sure what you want, but you'd get a lot further with me if you'd just ask already."

"Okay. For starters, do you remember anything else about the guy who attacked you that could help us find him?"

Marissa pinched her lip. "I told you, I never saw him, I don't know who he is, just that he was a creep. He grabbed me, he put a knife to my throat and he tied me up. That's all I know."

"Did he - "

"I really don't want to keep reliving this, especially since I don't know anything. Can't you leave me alone?"

"No," Hope said after a second. "I can't. I know this is difficult but this is the only way we're going to catch this guy. After he left your room, he went and did the same thing to another girl across campus, and then to a boy in some other dorm. And believe me, we're asking them just as many questions about it. I'm not doing this to be a pain in your butt. I'm trying to find this lowlife before he hurts anyone else."

Marissa's eyes widened. "So basically, nobody's safe?"

"I didn't say that. We will get this guy. But even if you don't remember anything about him, maybe you can still help. Can I show you some photos of the other kids that got robbed? Maybe you know something about them that can help us put this all together."

Marissa nodded. Hope took out her tablet and showed Marissa a photo of a smiling, dark haired girl, and a boy whose red hair stuck out from underneath his baseball cap. Marissa looked carefully at them. When she looked up at Hope, Hope thought she saw relief in the girl's eyes. But all Marissa said was, "The only thing we seem to have in common is none of us is blonde." She pushed away her yogurt. "I never saw either of them in my life. But, um, tell them I'm sorry. What I went through, nobody should have to go through."

"I will," Hope promised as she got up.

Marissa went to throw away what was left of her yogurt, As she watched Hope walk off, she took out her phone and mumbled to herself, "Okay, JJ, let's find out who you are and make sure you're not living in the dorms too." She opened Ewe Search and typed in "Salem University student JJ."

Daniel looked tired when JJ got to his office. JJ played with his keys as he came inside and closed the door. "Are you sure this is a good time?" he asked Daniel. "Cause no offense, man, but you look like hell."

Daniel shrugged. "Yeah, it's been rough, but let's not talk about that right now. What's up?"

JJ sighed. "You know how you didn't give up on me all that time I was trying to make you miserable?"

"Okay, JJ, I'm gonna stop you right there. We've been through this, man, and you know it doesn't matter to me."

"No, man, it's not that. Not this time. It's just…" JJ took another deep breath. "Okay, I have this friend who's doing something he shouldn't be, and it's like, totally going to ruin his life. And everything I'm doing to try to get him to see it, it's just making things worse. So I wanted to ask you…" JJ looked up at Daniel, his eyes wide and full of sincerity, "I guess I wanted to ask, how do you get through to someone who's so mad they hate the sight of you?"

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose while he thought about it. "You just keep trying," he said, finally. "You refuse to give up, man, no matter how mad they get, you just keep looking for any little crack in their defenses, anything you can use to get them to see that you're not the enemy. But JJ, you gotta know, man, sometimes, sometimes no matter what you do, you're just gonna lose your friend. Now I'm not saying you will, but you, you just gotta be prepared to take that risk."

JJ slumped down in his seat.

"I'm not trying to discourage you, man. I think you're trying to do a noble thing. I just want you to know what you're up against." Daniel played with a pen on his desk. "Tell you what. I don't wanna pry, you know that, but if you wanna tell me exactly what's going on, I promise you it will stay just between us, and then maybe I can help you come up with some ideas to get a handle on it."

Jennifer didn't really know where to go. Her whole body ached to be in Parker's room with Daniel. She'd messed that up pretty well, hadn't she? She didn't want to go home, either-too many memories of Jack, too much emptiness, too much knowledge that she had a son out there in the world who was avoiding her.

Parker in a hospital bed. JJ God knew where.

She couldn't help either of them.

Jen found herself in Horton Town Square, near the memorial to her grandparents. She touched it, trying to feel her grandmother's warmth, trying to hear the voice that had so gently guided her so many times. All she felt was cold metal under her fingertips.

She took out her phone and called JJ, blinking back tears, telling herself sternly to get it together before he picked up. He didn't-the voice mail did.

_Hey, you've reached JJ's phone. I'm really busy but I'll probably call you back sometime soon if you leave a message._

Jen took a deep breath. "JJ, it's Mom. I know you think I'm breathing down your neck all the time, but I really miss having my son around. Even if you don't want to come home til late, please call me. I'll be around all day. I love you, honey."

She squeezed her eyes shut as she hung up and massaged the bridge of her nose to make the tears stop.

"Jen!" Hope said as Jennifer opened her eyes again. She came up to Jen from across the square, Ciara trailing reluctantly behind her. "I'm glad I ran into you, cuz."

"Yeah," Ciara said. "Now we don't have to waste time going to your house when I'm supposed to be going to Theo's."

"Ciara," Hope said, but Jennifer said, "No, that's all right. I'm sure Ciara didn't mean to be rude. What's up?"

"I felt really bad that we never got to do coffee," Hope explained. "I got caught up in a huge case, and if Roman hadn't made me take a break I'd probably still be in the office looking at the same evidence and hoping it told me something different. So I thought I'd stop in at the pub and get something to bring over. But since I ran into you, why not just catch up there? That is, unless you're in the middle of something."

Jen forced a smile. "No, nothing. JJ and Abigail are both out doing their own thing, so I've got a few hours to spare. Let's go."

After JJ had told Daniel the whole story, Daniel looked like his headache had gotten worse. He rubbed his temples and said, "Oh my God, JJ, you do realize that you were risking not only getting kicked out of school but getting arrested again, right?"

JJ turned red. "I wasn't planning on doing anything dangerous, Daniel, I swear."

"You weren't planning on doing anything dangerous. What exactly did you think was going to happen, man? Were you thinking, at all?"

"I thought maybe if I scouted it out, I could get Rory thinking I was on his side, and then, I dunno, talk him out of stealing the exam. It was lame, I know."

"Yeah. It was. JJ, you get arrested, no judge is gonna care about what you were trying to do for Rory. You're just gonna end up right back where you started, kicked out of school and with a possible jail sentence hanging over your head. And your future, JJ, your future will just go right down the drain. You got that?"

"Got it."

Daniel patted JJ's shoulder. "For what it's worth, man, you're doing the right thing trying to look out for your friend. You… you just gotta think things through so that you keep your own nose clean while you get him believing you're on his side. Okay?"

"Okay." JJ stood up and held out his hand. "Thanks, Daniel."

"Not a problem. Just…just be careful. Oh, and one more thing, JJ." Daniel gestured towards the seat. "You were asking me what was going on with me. I'll tell you but I don't want it going any further than this room. Are we clear?"

"I won't tell anybody. I promise." JJ sat back down.

"Thanks." Daniel sat down on the edge of his desk, facing JJ. He sighed. "I'm stretched real thin right now, man, and I want you to know it has nothing to do with you. But Parker, he… he's not well." Daniel blinked back tears. "I don't know exactly what's wrong with him yet. Your Aunt Kayla, she's helping me figure it out, but right now, JJ, right now he's in the ICU and that means that taking care of him has got to be my first priority."

"I...I'm sorry. If I'd known I wouldn't have wasted so much of your time with… with my stupid problems."

"Honestly, man, you did me a favor. I had to get away for a few minutes, think about something else than what could be happening to my son. And JJ, I want you to know, if you need me I will be here for you as much as I can be. It's just, til Parker's back on his feet, I can't make any promises about my schedule."

"I understand." JJ got up. "Is there anything I can do to help, man?"

"Actually, there is something." Daniel patted JJ's shoulder. "You, JJ, you just keep doing as well as you're doing. I'm so proud of the way you pulled yourself together this last year, man. Just keep it up, just keep giving me something to be happy about while I'm going through this. Deal?"

"Deal." JJ shook Daniel's hand. The two men patted each other on the back before they pulled apart.

Ciara sat down with Jen and Hope at Brady Pub but Hope said, "Oh, honey, I think Grandma Caroline would love it if you went upstairs and spent some extra time with her."

"You mean, you want me to go away so that you and Jennifer can talk about why she's so sad."

"I'm not sad, sweetheart," Jen told her, "but your mom and I do want to catch up on grown-up things."

"Yeah, right," Ciara said.

"Ciara Alice," Hope told her in a very tired voice, "please just go see your grandmother, okay?"

Ciara slid off her seat and stomped upstairs. Hope was pretty sure that her daughter had decided to sit on the top of the steps and listen instead of going all the way into Caroline's apartment, but she decided to ignore it.

"Sorry about that," Hope told Jen. "She's going through a phase again."

"I guess maybe I'm lucky that I didn't have to go through that with my kids," Jen said, "since they were away at boarding school when they were Ciara's age." She blinked hard.

Hope reached for her hand across the table. "What's going on?"

Jen sighed. "I've failed JJ. That's why he's avoiding me. It has to be. He never wanted to go to that school in the first place, and then after Jack died, I just couldn't… every time I looked at JJ, I saw his father, and it hurt so much that I just tried to push him away. My son was hurting, and I wasn't there for him. And then for a while it seemed like everything was fine, everything was straightening itself out, but ever since he and Paige broke up… Hope, my son is in trouble again, I just know he is."

"What kind of trouble?" Hope asked. "He's not - "

Jen shook her head. "As far as I know, he's not using. But he leaves for school early in the morning and comes home late at night, and I don't know what he's doing in between."

"Wait a second. JJ's on campus all day and all night?"

"Yes. Why? Do you know something? Is my son - "

Hope sighed. "I didn't want to worry you, so I wasn't going to say anything, but the Salem U campus isn't exactly safe at the moment."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't give you any more details than that, Jennifer. I'm sorry. But JJ needs to stay out of the woods behind the dorms. They're too secluded and a lot of crime takes place there. And if I were you, honey, I'd tell him he needs to stay off the campus altogether late at night."

Jen's eyes widened. "You're scaring me, Hope. Please, tell me what's going on and how I can protect my son."

Hope took out her tablet and stared at it, thinking. "If anyone asks, you didn't get this from me," she said. She handed it to Jen.

Jen glanced at it. She saw the headline stating that three students had been attacked at Salem U. She turned white as she slowly put it down on the table.

Paige sat in her room, trying to concentrate on her biology textbook, but too many voices were swirling through her head. Daphne telling her that if she wanted to move in, she should just forget what Eve thought. Eve saying she wasn't going to let Paige move until they caught the mugger. T saying her problem was that she was always looking for the ulterior motive.

She slammed the book closed and picked up her phone. "Daphne?" she said. "It's me, Paige. If you'll still have me, I'm ready to move in."

As she hung up the phone, her mother stormed into the room and said, "Like hell you are!"

Bev joined Rory in the smoker's circle in the center of the woods. "So even after you save JJ's ass, he's too good to smoke with us?"

"I don't wanna talk about him," Rory told her, throwing back his head to let out a big lungful of smoke. "It ruins my high."

"Whatever." Bev took the joint from him.

Rory stared out into the distance. "We're gonna have to come up with a new plan, thanks to JJ botching the other one." He giggled. "That school cop's probably put a 24-hour guard on the English office."

"Like what?"

Rory laughed again. "You know anything about breaking into computers?"

"Like Dr. K even knows what a computer is. He probably doesn't even use a calculator to add up the grades."

"Hey!" Rory said. "That's brilliant."

"What is?"

"Dr. K's gonna need to hire a student to put the grades in the computer, right? So maybe - "

Bev giggled. "Doesn't he have, like TA's and stuff?"

"Leave it to me. I'll get us in."

Bev's phone buzzed just then. She frowned as she looked at it. "We'll have to continue this stimulating conversation later. I gotta meet someone."

"Hey," Rory said, suddenly sobering up. "You're not hooking up with that Cole again, are you?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but no, I'm not that stupid. Or that desperate."

Bev pushed past Rory. He followed her, watching through the trees as she met some guy. He thought it might be Cole, but he couldn't tell; it was too dark. Whoever it was, he kissed Bev kind of hard. Rory didn't like it.

He was so busy spying on Bev he didn't hear the leaves rustling behind him. Suddenly, someone grabbed him from behind, pressing a knife against his throat and covering his mouth. "On your knees, dude," a voice said in his ear. "Keep quiet, give me your wallet and your weed."


	3. Chapter 3

Rory raised his hands slowly into the air. He started to bend his knees, then suddenly reached across, grabbing the robber's wrist and pulling the knife away from his throat. At the same time, he tilted his head up, butting the guy in the chest.

The robber stumbled slightly; his hand slid off Rory's mouth. He struggled to get back in control, pulling the knife towards Rory's ribs.

Rory tightened his grip on the guy's wrist. He twisted it hard, pulling it behind the guy's back and forcing his fingers open. The knife fell; Rory kicked it away from them.

"Let go of me, you stupid stoner!" the robber said, throwing his free arm around Rory's neck and trying to choke him. Rory pretended it was worse than it was, dropping his head onto the guy's arm as if he were about to pass out. The robber let go slightly and Rory twisted out of his grasp, then elbowed the robber hard.

The robber fell backwards and Rory fell on top of him. The two wrestled on the ground, rolling over and over. The robber's bag burst open and the duct tape he was planning on using on Rory rolled out.

Rory saw the knife half-hidden under the trees as they rolled over one more time. He gulped; using a knife against someone went against his nature, but it seemed like it was the only way to end this. The guy just wouldn't give up otherwise.

He grabbed the knife, forcing himself to steady his hands before he quietly put the weapon against the guy's throat. "Quit, dude," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "Lie still."

The robber seemingly had no choice to obey; he stopped moving. Rory grabbed the tape off the ground. He began feeling buzzed again as he wrapped tape around the guy's wrists, then around his ankles.

When he was done, he looked around to make sure nobody was nearby, then tossed the knife into the trees. He stood up and glared at the robber. It was so dark he couldn't really see what the other guy looked like, just that he was dark haired and that his eyes looked dead.

"You know, man," Rory said, "If you wanted some weed you could have just asked. I always share."

"Let me go or you'll be sorry."

"You're lucky you didn't totally ruin my high, or I'd do more than just give myself a head start. Have fun getting out of this." Rory grabbed his bag and took off.

Even though it was late, Nicole went to the office and grabbed a bunch of files. She wanted to check out this Jeff guy and find out what his game was. She didn't like having her name used in someone else's scheme-she could ruin her reputation all on her own if she wanted to.

She found his folder in her reject pile. She opened it slowly, reading over his resume and application and remembering his interview.

_Jeff had been a bit too gung-ho. She'd asked him what his career plans were and his eyes lit up. "I'm gonna cover the big stories," he said. "All the crime and drugs and violence that people don't know about. I'll let them know what their world is really about."_

"_How do you think you'll fit in with the scintillating stories about dog shows and community days we cover here at Titan?" Nicole asked him._

"_Don't patronize me," Jeff said, and there was some sort of spark in his eye that Nicole did not like. Then he recovered from it and said, "What I mean is, I can go out and get the real stories so that we have to push all that stuff aside. Look, I'm at Salem U, and I'm sure you think the most interesting thing there is that every time the cops shut down one kegger, another pops up on the other side of campus. But there's stuff going on there that you won't believe. You'll see."_

And now here he was, claiming she sent him to cover the serial mugger on the Salem U campus and blowing her chances of getting the real story any time soon.

Nicole opened her computer and signed into the public records database. She typed in Jeff's full name to see if anything came up. Nothing.

Nicole went to the start menu and looked through some of the other databases, trying to find something that would tell her what she wanted to know. Her phone buzzed.

"Rafe, hey!" Nicole said. "Has it been a while? I've been so busy covering community clothing drives and delays at the airport, I hadn't noticed. Coffee? How about we throw caution to the wind and throw in an entire meal? Yeah, there's something I need to talk to you about too. See you then."

Nicole hung up the phone and went back to looking through databases. _I guess there's always good old Ewe search, _she thought. She hated using it; she felt it was beneath her. But she was getting desperate.

Ewe Search turned up Jeff's picture from some school event. Nicole printed it out. "So you show up pretending you're something you're not just to try to get some information," she said to it. "Well, two can play at that game. We'll see tomorrow how you like it."

The house was dark when JJ came in. He opened the door softly.

A light came on as he tiptoed towards the stairs. He glanced up as his mom came slowly downstairs. She was wearing a nightgown and her hair was down instead of being tied into a neat bun like it usually was.

"Did I wake you?" JJ asked. "I'm sorry. I was trying to be as quiet as I could."

"No, honey, I wasn't sleeping." Jen came downstairs. "I couldn't until I knew you were here at home, where it's safe."

"Well, I'm home now," JJ said, "and I'm gonna head to bed, so - "

"No." Jen sat down on the couch. "It's more than you being out so late. I know you want your space from everyone and everything, especially me, but it's beyond time we talked, and I'm not going to sleep until we do." She patted the seat next to her.

Paige turned slowly to face her mother. "How long were you listening at my door?"

"Now Paige, we've talked about this, sweetheart, til we're blue in the face, and the fact is that as long as there's some crazy man on the loose who preys on sweet, innocent girls like you, you're staying here." Eve crossed her arms. "And if you cross me on this, sweetheart, well you're just going to leave me no choice but to - "

"But to what?" Paige demanded, getting up. "I'm almost 19, Mom. You can't do anything to me anymore."

"Oh yes I can," Eve said, moving to block the door. She pulled out her phone. "I am going to get that Hope Brady over here right now to talk some sense into you and if that doesn't work - "

Paige rolled her eyes-something her mother had never, ever seen her do-and said, "Call whoever you want. I'm still moving in with Daphne."

"Sweetheart, please - "

"Isn't it enough you ruined my relationship with JJ?" Paige demanded. "You got your way on that, Mom, but that's the last time I'm giving in to you."

"JJ!" Eve was shocked. "Honey, I thought we agreed, that boy is no good for you. He's the one who's got you all riled up tonight, isn't he? You've been talking to him on that college campus again."

"No," Paige said. "JJ and I are history, but the next time I meet a guy, everything's going to be different. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to pack." She pulled some flattened boxes out from under her bed.

Eve bit her lip. "Paige, sweetheart," she said, her tone softer, "I'm not saying not to move in with Daphne. I'm just saying, you don't have to do anything tonight. Just sleep on it, baby, that's all I ask. If tomorrow you still want to move, I won't stand in your way."

"You promise?"

Eve held up her fingers. "Scouts' honor."

"Okay, fine," Paige said, "but I'm not going to change my mind." She sat down on her bed again.

Eve said goodnight to her before going back out in the living room. She fired up her computer; while she was waiting for it to come on, she said under her breath, "That's what you think." She typed something into her computer before picking up her phone.

Rory skateboarded all the way home, which took about an hour, since Kurt didn't answer the phone when he called him for a ride. He told himself it was cool, but really he was pissed and didn't want to admit it. Nobody wanted to spend their high being angry at their stupid brother.

As soon as he got home, he burst through the door, calling, "Kurt! Where are you dude? You won't believe what just happened. I almost got robbed, man… but that lame martial arts class you made me take actually saved my life. So I owe you one, dude. Kurt? Are you here?"

Rory turned on the light. He found Kurt lying on the floor next to an open bottle of beer. For a second he thought his brother was dead, then Kurt made a horrible snoring noise and Rory realized he was just passed out. "Partying without me, huh?" he said under his breath, picking up the bottle. He took a swig from it to calm his nerves, then put it down and shook Kurt. "Dude, wake up. I just got out from under a knife to the throat. Come on, let's smoke some together in celebration."

Kurt pushed Rory off him. "Don't sneak up on me like that," he mumbled, his speech slurred. "I don't like people sneaking up on me, man. Don't sneak up on me." He tried to jump up, but almost fell and had to grab onto the coffee table to steady himself. "Get away from me," he said, trying to push the table towards Rory. "You don't sneak up on me, little bro, not ever, you understand?"

Rory picked up his skateboard, quickly, and slid out the door. It would probably take Kurt a good half hour to pass out again. Rory could take him if he had to, but one fight with a madman per night was enough.

Marissa's dorm room seemed smaller than usual to her as she pulled back the covers on her bed. She glanced over at the door to make sure it was locked before climbing into bed and settling into her pillow.

_His hand was pressed against her mouth as the door closed. He said something… and there was something sharp leaning against her neck… cold and sharp… she watched herself drop her purse on the floor… her hands went up in the air and he moved her over to the bed..._

Marissa's heart beat fast. She opened her eyes and saw she was safe in bed and that nobody else was in the room. She rolled over and closed her eyes again.

_The rope was too tight around her wrists...she tried to scream but something was in her mouth… she gasped for breath while she watched her lamp fall to the floor and shatter…_

Marissa sat up in bed, breathing hard. She reached for her phone, looking for something to calm herself down. When she woke up the phone, the article she'd been reading about JJ was on the screen.

_Young Boy Goes Bezerk, Destroys Bookstore_

She scrolled down quickly, looking for clues. "Why, JJ?" she whispered, remembering the sad look he'd given her when he'd finally turned around earlier. She'd felt his sensitivity, his pain. She'd known he was like her.

Nothing told her how this sweet, gentle boy had become this other… monster. She scrolled back up and stared at the picture of the bookstore. Glass everywhere, chairs overturned, a guy on top of JJ, holding him down the way her attacker had held her down except this time, the boy was the bad guy and the attacker the good guy.

_There's stuff about me that turns off any decent girl_, JJ had said. Was this what he meant?

Marissa put the phone down and tried again to sleep, but this time when she closed her eyes, all she saw was herself in Horton Town Square, seeing JJ looking at the bookstore window like she'd seen today. She came up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. When he turned around, she pushed her lips onto his, kissing him passionately, pushing him up against the bookstore window.

She jerked awake again. Sitting up, she pulled her pillow to her chest and hugged it, rocking back and forth to calm herself. _What the hell is wrong with me? _she thought.

JJ sat on the couch, his arms crossed. Jen had gone on and on after he'd tried to tell her he wasn't avoiding her specifically-why couldn't she ever listen to him?

"I know," Jen was saying now, "that you are 19 years old and I can't tell you what to do or when to come home. But I am asking you, JJ, no… I am _begging_ you… until Hope catches this madman who is terrorizing Salem U, please, honey, please be here by 10 every night so that I know you're okay."

JJ stared at the floor while he thought about it. "I know I have done a lot of stupid stuff that's scared you to death, and I don't want you to have to worry about me anymore. But Mom, this guy only attacks people in the dorms."

Jen shook her head. "I know you think that, honey, but I've been around long enough to know that with someone like that, you never know what they're going to do next. It might feel like nothing can happen to you, but any time you're on campus, especially at night, JJ, you could be putting yourself in danger."

There was a loud crash outside. JJ and Jen looked at each other, and he could tell she was thinking the same thing he was: maybe the robber, whoever he was, was hitting private houses now.

"What was that?" Jen asked.

JJ opened a closet and took out his old baseball bat. "I dunno, but I'm gonna find out. Stay here."

"JJ! Don't you think we should - "

But JJ had already run out the door, holding the bat tightly, to check things out. Jen closed the door and went to the window to see what was going on.

Daniel adjusted Parker's covers, talking to him all the while even though Parker was asleep again. "I don't think you're gonna get to go to your mom's tomorrow, buddy," he said. "But you hurry up and get better so you can go, and in the meantime, maybe...maybe she'll come visit you here. Would you like that? Yeah, I bet you would."

"So you're Daniel Jonas," a voice said from the doorway. Daniel turned to see a short woman standing there, holding a clipboard. The woman had bright blue eyes that were hidden behind her glasses and red hair arranged into a loose ponytail. She was wearing a lab coat.

"And you are?" Daniel asked.

"Elizabeth Harper," the woman said, coming all the way into the room. "But all the kids call me Dr. Liz."

"Well, he's asleep," Daniel said. He glanced at the monitor above Parker's bed. "His heart rate and respiration rate have been stable for hours. How soon can we try taking him off the oxygen?"

"You'd be better off asking the pulmonologist about that," Elizabeth said, "or maybe the cardiologist. That kind of stuff isn't my specialty."

"So then, why are you here?"

"I'm a pediatric counselor," Elizabeth explained. She glanced at Daniel and added, "though I also do adults." She blushed. "Anyway, being in the hospital can be stressful for children-and for parents too-so whenever the little ones are sick, I come around to see how everyone's doing."

"Yeah, well, he's asleep, and I gotta tell you, he doesn't do so well with strangers, so I don't know if you'll get anything out of him. But if you wanna give it a try, tomorrow would be - "

"Yes, I figured." Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder as someone else came to the door. Daniel was relieved to see it was Nicole.

"Well, your wife probably wants to say good night," Elizabeth said, "so - "

"Oh, she's not - "

"Girlfriend, wife, whatever. I'll leave you to it. It was certainly nice meeting you, Dr. Jonas, and I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of each other." Elizabeth slid out of the room.

When JJ rushed outside, he found Rory struggling to pick up the trash can from the driveway. Trash had spilled all over and Rory's skateboard was flipped over on the side of the driveway.

"Sorry dude," Rory said, seeming slightly out of breath. "I had a little mishap." He tried to right the trash can but he couldn't quite do it.

"Come on!" JJ said. "I did more than enough of this when I had to clean the frickin' square to stay out of jail." He threw the bat down and helped Rory get the trash can back where it belonged. "What are you coming over here all high for anyway?"

Rory scowled. "I need a place to crash and I thought you were the kind of friend who would do anything for me. I guess I forgot, that guy doesn't live here anymore. Sorry I bothered you." He picked up his skateboard and slammed it down on the concrete. Something cracked; he cursed under his breath and tucked the skateboard under his arm as he stomped off.

JJ followed him to the end of the driveway. "Rory, wait, I didn't mean it like that, man. Just my mom was getting on my case about hanging out late when there's that guy robbing people and -" Rory bit his lip, and JJ noticed how wide his eyes got. "What?"

Rory leaned on his skateboard. "Look, dude, even though I'm mad at you, I'd be a crappy friend if I didn't tell you to be careful. I...I ran into that guy in the woods. He's messed up, and not good messed up either, scary messed up. Anyone who'd pull a knife on me just for $5 and a tiny bit of weed's gotta be."

"Oh my God." JJ paced back and forth. "What'd he do to you?"

"Nothing, man. Yep, you're looking at the only person who got one over on the Salem U robber." Rory grinned. "He had duct tape and everything, dude, and I don't even wanna know what he was gonna do with it, but it doesn't matter. I turned the tables. It's gonna take him at least til dawn to get free."

JJ looked at him sideways. "You're okay?"

"Better than ever, man. He can't keep me down." Rory's grin faded to nothing. "I do need a place to crash for a few though. My stupid brother is too partied out to join in the celebration." He took out a joint. "I took the edge off a little before I headed over, and I got enough to replace. I know you don't wanna do that stuff, but I'm prepared in case you change your mind."

"Nah, I'm good."

"Your loss." Rory flicked his lighter.

JJ put his hand on Rory's wrist. He could feel it shaking, and he didn't think it was just from all the stuff Rory did, either. "Wait on that just a little. We still gotta get past my mom, and if she can tell you're lit up, she'll have a fit."

"If anyone could use some, it's her," Rory said, giggling.

JJ shot an angry look his way. Rory's face fell. "There was a time you could take a joke, dude," he said, but he put the joint away before following JJ back to the house.

Bev and Cole's kissing session had gotten hotter and heavier; Cole had backed Bev up against a tree and was kissing her hard while reaching for the buttons on her blouse. She was equally into it, pretending to push Cole away because that's what he liked, but really wanting him.

Suddenly, there was a cry for help coming from the clearing. Bev pushed Cole away for real. "Hey," he said, annoyed. "What game are you playing now?"

"Didn't you hear that?" Bev demanded. "Someone's in trouble."

"What, you care about them more than you do about me?" Cole kissed Bev again, lightly, but she pulled away as the person called for help again.

"Go see what's going on," Bev said.

"All right, all right." Cole tightened his belt. "Don't move til I get back." He disappeared into the woods. Bev waited til he was far enough ahead that he wouldn't know she was disobeying him before she followed.

"Do I want to know who that was?" Nicole asked Daniel as she came all the way into the room.

"Not really," Daniel told her. "Just some shrink. No one important."

"The inmates are running the asylum, huh?" Nicole said. "Anyway, what's the news about Parker?"

Daniel sighed. "Wish I had some to give you. He was up for a few hours but otherwise it's just these machines keeping him stable."

"Thank God for technology," Nicole said. "Daniel, forget what I said earlier, okay? Parker's going to be fine."

"Yeah, I know."

Nicole looked Daniel over to get a sense of how okay he was. "Um, you said you needed me to do something?"

"Yeah." Daniel fished his keys out of his pocket. "I'm gonna be staying here with Parker so I need someone to check on things over at my apartment. Do you mind stopping by when you get a chance?"

"Of course." Nicole sort of half smiled. "Want me to stay so I can do crowd control around your front door?"

"Nah," Daniel said, "but tell you what. If you want to sleep in the guest bedroom for old time's sake, go for it."

"Tempting," Nicole said, "but not tonight. I have to chase down a fake intern tomorrow, so I gotta get ready."

"A what?"

"It's a long story for another day. I could wring Miles' neck for getting me involved in this star search crap. But first, I want to track down this Jeff guy and let him know that name dropping's not free of charge."

"Nicole…"

"Don't worry, I won't go too far...or at least I won't get caught." Nicole winked.

Daniel rubbed his temples and said, "I hope not, cause I don't wanna have to come bail your ass out."

"As if!" Nicole laughed. Her smile faded and she said, "Seriously, though, you just get some sleep tonight. I got this." She hugged Daniel and said, "Kiss Parker for me, okay? I don't want to wake him."

Jen turned away from the window as JJ came into the house, trailed by Rory, "Honey, what - "

"Mom!" JJ said as Rory closed the door. "You won't believe what Rory just told me."

Jennifer glanced at Rory, who plopped himself onto the couch, then turned back to JJ. "Is that what you've been doing every night?" she asked. "Hanging out late with Rory, that's why you didn't want to come home? Because honey - "

"Mom? What? No. It's not that at all. It's just tonight, something happened, that's why Rory dropped by."

"Oh, I don't care," Jen said in a light tone that JJ knew was phony. "As long as you're not doing drugs with him, do whatever you want."

Rory got up from the couch. "Look, Mrs. Deveraux," he said, "I get I'm not your favorite person, but I'm really a lot more than just a walking joint of weed."

Jen turned towards Rory. JJ held his breath, praying this didn't get too ugly. "I'm not trying to judge you," Jen told Rory. "If my son still considers you a friend after everything he's been through, I'm sure he sees so much good in you that he's willing to ignore what you do when he's not around. But I can't forget that from the moment JJ met you, whenever the two of you were together, trouble wasn't too far behind. So no matter how many other sides of you he sees, as long as you come into my house high or planning to get high, I'm sorry, but I can't see you as anything but a bad influence."

"Maybe you need your eyes checked," Rory said. "You think you know it all, but you got it all wrong. When JJ was messing up, it was all his idea. I just came along for the ride. Yeah, I like to mess around, have a little fun, live a little, but JJ's the one who was flipping out when he first hit Salem."

Jen's lips thinned. Rory said, "Look, I'm not any more crazy about you than you are about me. But I'll put up with you for one night for JJ's sake."

"What is he talking about?" Jen demanded of JJ.

JJ reddened. "I kinda told Rory he can crash here tonight. I thought since Abigail's out for the night and we have that guest room anyway, it would be okay."

"Honey, I'm sorry ,but I don't think that's a good idea. In fact, I think it would be best if Rory went home now."

JJ crossed his arms. "Mom," he said, trying hard to keep his temper under control, "if he could do that, do you think he'd hang around here letting you look at him like he's a serial killer?"

"JJ!" Jen put her hand on JJ's arm. "Come over here right now." She started to drag JJ towards the kitchen.

Rory started to pick up his bag. "Forget it, dude. Let's just hang in the park tonight."

JJ turned towards him. "Just wait, will you?"

"I don't stay where I'm not wanted, man."

"Just gimme five minutes alone to explain it to her. I guarantee you she'll see it our way." JJ glared at his mother.

Bev followed Cole almost to the clearing where she and Rory had been hanging out. She ducked behind a tree and watched.

Rory was long gone. In fact, the clearing was empty except for some guy lying on the ground. Bev leaned forward and saw that the guy had tape wrapped around his wrists and ankles. She couldn't make out his features, but she didn't think she'd ever seen him before.

Cole looked over his shoulder, so Bev ducked back behind the tree again. She listened as Cole said, "What the hell happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know," the other guy said. "You said this was some easy money. You'd better not have been lying to me."

"I wasn't," Cole protested. "I can't believe that scrawny little stoner got one over on you. How - "

"Never mind how. I'm gonna have to go to plan B. Get in the woods and find me my knife."

Cole headed for the woods. Bev jumped back so he wouldn't find her, then ran back to the tree she was supposed to be standing against. She leaned against it, trying to catch her breath before Cole came back. She didn't know what to do about what she'd just heard, but she didn't have time to think about it. He was going to be here any second now, and going against what he wanted was even more dangerous than she realized. She started to take out her phone, but she heard Cole's footsteps. She shoved the phone back into her purse and made it look like she had been waiting for him this whole time.

Jen turned towards JJ, her eyes blazing. "You'd better tell me exactly what's going on before I call Hope to come get your friend. I'm sure whatever's going on at home, he doesn't want to spend the night in jail."

"Mom!" JJ's eyes flashed. "Would you stop freaking out?"

"I've known for months that you were friends with Rory again, but I let it go because I trusted you. But tonight, you showed me that I was mistaken. Not only did you bring him home with you after staying out so late that you worried me almost to death, but you invited him to stay over, knowing that I'm not comfortable with him." Jen paced back and forth. "You are lucky that you are too old for me to be able to punish you, because if I could you would be grounded for the rest of the semester. You may be 19 years old, but you are living in my house, and you have to live by my rules. I don't care how bad Rory's home life is. He is not welcome in this house. Now get rid of him."

"I can't do that, Mom. Look, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency."

"An emergency?" Jen laughed. "What kind of emergency could he possibly have that - "

JJ took a deep breath to control himself. "Mom, Rory just got robbed. He took that shortcut through the woods and one minute he's walking, the next he's facing a knife to his throat." He swallowed hard. "He got away, but Mom, he's all shook up. I mean, he tries to act like he's cool, but I can tell he's not. I don't think he should be alone."

"Alone? Didn't you tell me he lived with his brother now?"

"Kurt, um, he's not around right now." The lie slipped out too easily, but JJ didn't have time to feel guilty about it. "Look, if it was me, and you weren't here - "

"Then I'd hope you'd have the sense to go to someone like your Aunt Kayla who really cares about you."

"Rory doesn't have anyone like that, Mom. His brother's useless and his mom, she'll spit in his face and slam the door on him. If you make him leave, he's gonna end up sleeping on a park bench and praying he doesn't get robbed a second time."

Jen hesitated, thinking. "I feel bad that Rory doesn't have a family," she said. "But JJ, choices have consequences. If Rory didn't make such bad ones, maybe he'd have places to go other than the park."

JJ turned away from her. "Where do you think I'd be if you'd given up on me like Rory's mom did?"

"I could never do that, sweetheart. You know that. But as much as I want to judge Rory's mom for turning her back on him, I can't. I don't know how hard she tried before she decided enough was enough or what she put up with. But what I do know, honey, is that Rory's done a lot of things since then, and that's what led him to this moment. And it's sad, it really is. But - "

"Mom, please just stop, okay!" JJ couldn't help getting loud. "I get why you're upset with Rory being here. That's on me cause of all the stuff I used to do. But Mom, it's just one night, I swear, and I'm not doing that stuff with him anymore."

"But he still gets high."

"He knows he can't do that here. I made that clear to him a long time ago. Look, Rory can get wild, but I swear, he turns all that off whenever he comes over. So maybe if someone like you actually gives him a chance he'll think twice about what he's doing."

"He's really important to you." Jen sounded surprised.

"Yeah," JJ said. "He is." He sighed deeply. "So can he stay?"

"One night, JJ. I don't want him stretching it out into two, or a week, or six months."

"He won't. I promise."

"I'm sure Abigail doesn't want him in her room, so he has to stay in yours where you can keep an eye on him. And if I see any drugs-no, if I even smell weed or anything else-I will call Hope and he can spend the rest of the night in jail."

"Understood. Can I go tell him now, before he gives up and goes to the park?"

"One more thing."

"What?"

Jen hugged her son tight, surprising him. "If what happened to him happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. You promise me that you will be careful from now on, you understand?"

She had tears in her eyes as JJ hugged her back and mumbled, "I will, Mom."

Rafe sat on a tree stump in the clearing, interviewing the latest robbery victim. "So if you know this is where all the stoners hang out, and you don't do that yourself, what were you doing here?"

"I hope you're not blaming the victim," Jeff said. "That wouldn't reflect well on the police when it gets out."

Rafe grimaced as he reminded himself that even victims he didn't like were still victims. "And I hope you're not wasting my time," he said. "Now the longer you mess around instead of answering my questions, the bigger head start this guy has. So let's start again. How exactly did this all go down?"

"I was looking for a story," Jeff explained. "This is kind of embarrassing, but after your boss wouldn't give me anything, I thought I'd just have to work up to the big stuff. So I figured I'd come out here and report on the stoner circle and how the university isn't doing anything about it."

"Okay, so you came out here to catch some kids smoking weed. Then what?"

"They all scattered; they must have had a signal or something. So I figured, back to the drawing board, right? But before I could leave, one of them doubled back. The next thing I knew, he had a knife to my throat. He made me lie down and he tied me up before going through my pockets." Jeff's voice cracked. "He...he must have thought I was an easy mark cause I was here alone at night. I know it was stupid but I was just trying to get a story."

"Did you get a look at the guy?"

Jeff nodded. "It was dark so it was hard to see, but, um, he smelled really strongly of weed and alcohol, and I could make out some of his features. He had long hair, like shoulder length and a ring on his pointer finger."

"Ever seen him before?"

"Yeah. He hangs out with my friend JJ sometimes. His name is...um...I forget...but it starts with an R… Randy… or… maybe… Rory?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't worry, I'll be there," Rafe said to someone on the phone as Nicole walked in. "Give me a few to settle this." He closed his phone.

Nicole threw herself into her chair and said, "Workplace drama this early in the morning?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary." Rafe smiled at Nicole. "Anyway, never mind all that. How are you?"

Nicole shrugged. "I'm all right. Listen, what can you tell me about the serial mugger on the Salem U campus? I shouldn't have to rely on what little crumbs the newspaper's got ahold of when I have a friend in the police department."

"I can't tell you a single thing. Not on a case this big where we have no leads-and don't quote me on that."

"Come on, Rafe, you know I'll sit on it for as long as you need me to. Just give me something so that when the time comes, I can have an exclusive."

Rafe put his hands around his coffee mug. "The brass put us under a gag order yesterday, Nicole. So I can't breathe a word about this case, no matter how many promises you make to keep it to yourself. You can thank that intern of yours who was nosing around the station yesterday for that."

Nicole scrunched up her face. "I don't have an intern, at least not yet, and if I can drag this out long enough that Miles forgets about it, I won't have one at all."

"So Jeff Adkins isn't actually working for you?"

"Nope. He apparently thought he'd get points for creativity after I already threw his application in the trash. Something's strange about that guy, though. I can't put my finger on it, but I get a bad feeling every time I even hear his name. I tried running it through all the public databases, but nothing. I thought maybe you'd have better luck."

Rafe sipped his coffee, thinking. "I trust your instincts," he said at last. "They're just about as good as mine."

"Yep, if I wasn't a compulsive lawbreaker I would have made a good cop."

"Yeah." Rafe laughed. "Okay, this is completely off the record, and if anyone asks, you never heard it from me, but Jeff Adkins is supposedly our latest victim."

"Supposedly. So you don't believe him?"

"There's too much that just doesn't add up. There were details of his attack that are totally different than the other three, and when I asked him if he'd seen his attacker, a name rolled right off his lips. So no, between you and me, I don't believe it. But until I can prove otherwise, I gotta go with the idea that he's the fourth victim of our serial robber."

"Maybe I can help," Nicole said. "I'm tracking him down today anyway to let him know that the only person who gets to sabotage my reputation is me. Maybe I can get something out of him."

"Even if you did, I don't know how I'd use it. Here's a free lesson in police procedure: don't poke the bear unless you're sure of what's gonna come out."

Nicole fake pouted. "Where's the fun in that? Seriously, though, you really think this guy was faking being robbed?"

"Well, something happened, but I have my doubts it's what he says it is."

Nicole shook her head. "There's just no lengths he won't go to to try to get a story, and if there isn't one, make one up. I'd better get to him before Miles does-otherwise he might get named intern of the year and I'll be stuck with him."

"Yeah." Rafe checked his phone. "I gotta get to the station too."

"Hey," Nicole said as they got up. "This is crazy, I know, but do you think sometime maybe we can get together without either of us needing something?"

Rafe smiled. "When this case is over, maybe I'll have my life back...so why not?"

JJ took out his music theory book and did some studying at his desk while he waited for Rory to get up. Since he couldn't play his guitar right now, music theory was the next best thing-and anyway he needed to review some stuff in case there was a pop quiz.

Rory stretched and opened his eyes. "That's what you do first thing in the morning?" he said. "Come on, dude, I know you wanna keep your grades up, but when do you have time for, yunno, living?"

JJ bit his lip as he turned a page. "I'm not one to tell you how to live your life, man," he said, "but there is so much more out there than just getting high and getting wasted."

"Um, which one of us was it who almost spent the best years of our lives in prison?"

JJ reddened. "Look, nobody knows more than me how much I deserved to be locked up. The reason I'm not is cause someone gave me a second chance, and I took it. Dude, all I'm saying is, after we're done with school, don't you want to be doing something with your life?"

Rory shifted his weight. "Yeah, I want enough money to get far away from here. Maybe travel the world or something, I dunno."

"Well, how are you gonna do that if you're baked all the time?"

"Why worry about that now, man? When the time comes I'll figure it out." Rory's phone buzzed; he scowled as he glanced at it. "I know one thing, dude. I'm not living with my idiot brother once my money comes in. Look at this."

JJ glanced at Rory's phone. Kurt's text read, _Where are u lil bro? Guess u never came home last nite...check in so I know ur alive._

"Guess he was so wasted he doesn't remember a thing," JJ said. "Sorry, dude."

"No biggie. I'm used to it." Rory picked up his jacket off the floor. "Hurry up, will you? I wanna roll before your mom has the chance to kick me out."

When Paige came out into the living room, her mother was looking at something on the computer. "Morning," Paige said sleepily.

"Oh, hi sweetheart." Eve hit her phone against her palm. "I was about to make a phone call. Can you excuse me for just a minute?"

"Mom," Paige said as Eve got up. "I've slept on it, and I'm still moving in with Daphne."

Eve's face fell but all she said was, "We'll talk about it in a minute, baby, I promise. Let me just get rid of this sales rep."

Eve went into the other room and closed the door almost all the way. Paige didn't notice that she'd left it open a crack or that she was watching her daughter sit down at the computer.

Paige glanced at the computer screen. She saw that her mother had been working on some kind of ad for the online classifieds. She scanned it quickly. "Large bedroom available in spacious two bedroom apartment, affordable rent… need tenant right away as my daughter is moving out," she read.

Eve came back just then. "Sorry about that. You know how these sales reps are, they're all the way on the other side of the world and they don't care that it's practically the crack of dawn over here." Paige shot her a look and she said, "What's the matter, baby?"

"You're renting out my room?"

"I was thinking about it. You know, with you moving out I thought I might be a little lonely, plus let's face it, I'm getting up there in years and every little bit of money I collect can help...that settlement from Jack Deveraux's estate isn't going to last forever, you know."

"But I thought I'd leave some of my clothes and stuff here since it's so close… and that I'd come back to visit sometimes."

"Well, I'm sorry sweetheart, but if you're moving out I have to do what I have to do. Of course, if you want to change your mind, I haven't posted the ad yet."

Paige crossed her arms. "You know, Mom, sometimes you disgust me. Do whatever you want. I'll just pack up all my things and hope they fit in my side of the dorm room."

"Sweetheart!"

"I'll call you later. I have a lot to do today." Paige stomped out.

Marissa sat at one of the outdoor tables at the coffee shop, sipping coffee and feeling like it wasn't doing a thing for her. She opened her purse to check herself in the mirror embedded into the cover. Her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her big, brown eyes. Great. Everybody who walked by could probably tell she'd barely slept.

Fishing through her purse for a brush, she found a business card she didn't remember getting. She took it out and looked at it. It was Marlena's card-that shrink she'd met at the hospital the day of the attack. _Maybe talking to someone's not such a bad idea, _she thought. She took out her phone and started to dial Marlena's number.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two boys walking towards her. Her heart beat faster. Was that JJ? And who was that long-haired kid with him? They were both cute, but her eyes were drawn to JJ and she couldn't look away.

She closed her phone as the boys came closer. Making an appointment with Dr. Evans would have to wait. Even though a voice in the back of Marissa's head told her to be careful, she found herself pushing her hair behind her ears to make herself look halfway decent before JJ came close enough to see her.

Roman had called Hope and Rafe into his office for another briefing on the robbery cases. "Before you say anything," he told them, "I want you to think long and hard about why we're not making progress on this case. The last victim gave you a name and a description, so you'd better have a good explanation, Rafe, for why the suspect's free to roam the streets instead of locked up in one of the holding cells."

Rafe sighed. "I'm still checking out his story. If it all adds up, we'll make an arrest later this afternoon."

"Almost 24 hours after the crime was reported."

"Yeah. I know the timeline. Look, on the surface of it, I'd say there's been a break in the case. But something about it's just too neat. None of the other victims even got a glimpse of the guy because he attacked from behind, so how is it that this one not only saw him, but could match a name to his face?"

"Maybe the perp just got cocky."

"It's not just that, though. Everything about this crime scene's all wrong. The other three victims were attacked in the dorms. This one was in the woods."

Roman shrugged. "You thought he might be hiding out there."

"Like I said before, the MO's totally different. The guy we're looking for uses rope on the arms-which he always secures behind the back, not above the head-and tape only on the legs. He also rips off a piece of the clothing to use as a gag. This victim was bound just with tape and wasn't gagged. Plus, usually someone finds them and calls campus security and security calls us. This one came in as an anonymous tip on our crime line. You gotta admit, something smells at least a little fishy about all this."

Roman glanced at Hope. "Hope, you agree with Rafe on this one?"

"I don't know." Hope sighed. "The differences certainly sound suspicious, but I wasn't there-Rafe was. Plus, I don't know, maybe I just want this guy to be lying." She checked her notes on her tablet. "The kid he fingered is JJ Deveraux's best friend, so if Jeff's telling the truth, there's a chance JJ's involved, and I don't want to think about that."

"Come on, Hope," Rafe told her. "You've handled tougher cases than this without batting an eye. Besides, if you really thought you couldn't be objective, you'd be asking to be let off the case, and you're not."

"I'm not worried about any of that," Roman told them. "The question in my mind is, why would someone make this up?"

Rafe shrugged. "I've been racking my brains on this one. I dunno, this kid seems desperate to get that internship over at Titan. Maybe he thought faking a mugging's a good way to do that."

"That's a little farfetched, isn't it?" Hope interjected. "Wouldn't the story he says he was trying to get about the drug problems be a better way to try to get Nicole's attention?"

"I dunno. I still say something's off about him."

"All right," Roman said. "With all due respect to your instincts, Rafe, right now we've got the name of a suspect and we're just sitting on it. That's gotta change before this kid goes to whatever press ties he thinks he has and complains that we're not doing enough. I'm dispatching a couple of uniforms to pick up this Rory character. That way we can keep the arrest quiet til we're sure what we're looking at. Rafe, I want you in charge of the interrogation once we got him. Hope, you poke around the victims' backgrounds-see if we got enough circumstantial evidence to tie him to any of the other robberies."

"You know we don't have enough for a PC hearing," Rafe said. "Basically all we got is this one victim's say so."

"We'll let the DA worry about that. Once he's in custody we have 72 hours before we have to cut him loose." Roman closed the file folder and said, "Tell Jenkins and Horowitz to come in here on your way out so I can brief them on the suspect."

Rory's phone buzzed again as he and JJ walked through the square. Rory hit the decline button and shoved his phone back in his pocket.

"Kurt again?" JJ asked. "Dude, he's gonna be calling me any second asking if I've seen you."

"So don't answer. Look, dude, I'm not avoiding him forever. Just til I can smoke a joint, clear my head enough."

Just then, a girl sitting at one of the tables called JJ's name. JJ turned around. He blushed when he saw it was Marissa. "Hey. Marissa, right?"

"The one and only." Marissa tried to smile. "You still owe me a sit-down over frozen yogurt," she said, "but since it's early, why don't you join me for some coffee?"

Rory's mouth dropped open, while JJ looked away from Marissa. "I'd like to, but, uh, I kind of have plans with - "

"Your friend can join us, of course."

"Don't have to ask me twice," Rory said, and sat down before JJ could say anything. "Rory's the name," he said, "and whatever you like is my game."

"Don't mind him," JJ said. "He has no idea what's coming out of his mouth right now."

"Well, it is early," Marissa said. "What are you two doing out and about?"

"Just killing some time before class," JJ told her. "Rory, um...he stayed over last night but neither of us has class til like four, so we figured we'd hang out here today."

"Oh," Marissa said. "So that's why you weren't into me yesterday."

Rory giggled. "We don't swing that way. We're into girls, well I am anyway. JJ keeps passing up the hottest ones."

"Dude!" JJ said. "My cousin's gay, not cool to make it look like a big joke." He turned back to Marissa. "Anyway, Rory had to stay over last night cause something happened...um…"

"A guy tried to rob me!" Rory sounded almost like he was proud of it.

Marissa's eyes widened. She picked up her coffee, quickly, and took a sip. "Oh my gosh," she said. "Are you all right?"

"Better than that. You wouldn't believe what happened. I got one over on him and now he's lying in the woods waiting…"

Marissa's eyes got even wider. JJ could see her hands shaking, and her breath was coming a bit faster. "Can we… excuse me a minute, I just need…" She got up quickly, then grabbed onto the back of her chair.

"Marissa!" JJ said, getting up too and putting his hand on her shoulder without thinking, to steady her.

Daphne and Paige met at the school cafeteria. It was more crowded than usual; Paige had to push through a ton of students to get to Daphne's table.

"Is something special going on?" Paige asked Daphne. "It seems like everyone's in here."

"Didn't you hear? The robber attacked someone in the woods last night, and rumor has it the cops are about to catch the guy. Everyone's crowded in here waiting to see who it is."

"Oh."

Daphne took a key out of her purse and played with it. "This is great news, Paige. Once they make an arrest, it means the campus is totally, 100% safe. Not that it wasn't before, but this should put your mom's mind at ease."

"Yeah," Paige said, staring at the key.

"What's wrong?" Daphne asked her. "Last night you were all excited to come get your copy of the key and this morning you look like someone died. Your mom didn't talk you out of it, did she?"

"Not exactly." Paige blinked back tears as she took the key. "I'm still moving in with you, don't worry. It's just that my mom already told me she's renting out my room as soon as I move out. I thought I was going to be able to go back and forth, but it seems like she can't wait to get rid of me so she can move someone else in."

"I don't understand," Daphne said. "This is a good thing, right? I mean, if she's gonna fill your room with a stranger, she's accepted your right to move into the dorms."

"That's the worst part," Paige said. "I don't even know why I care. But I feel like… if I move in my mom's just going to forget all about me."

"But you know she's not." Daphne's voice was soft. "Paige, your mom is always going to be your mom. She's just trying to make you feel bad so you won't leave. Don't you see that?"

"I guess."

"Look, I bet you anything that by the time the dorms close next summer, there won't be anyone staying in your room. So come on, after class let's go get some of your stuff and start moving in. All right?"

Paige took her key ring out and slid the key onto it. "I have my internship this afternoon," she said, "but maybe I can squeeze a few minutes in to get the boxes I packed last night."

"Yay! Paige, this is going to be so great."

Paige made herself smile as she nodded in agreement.

Daniel held Parker's hand while the nurse prepped his arm. "Make sure the blood panel includes tests for viral disease as well as bacteria," he told Maxine. "Also, his oxygen has been stable for over 24 hours-can we get someone in here after this to make a decision about trying him out without the CPAP?"

"We'll get to it as soon as we can," Maxine said. "Is he ready for the blood draw?"

"Let me check the tourniquet," Daniel said. Maxine grimaced but said nothing as Daniel slid his finger under it, then adjusted the tightness.

As soon as Parker saw the needle he began to cry. "No, no, no needle!" he sobbed, pulling away from Daniel.

The monitor began beeping like crazy. Daniel ran his hands through Parker's hair, trying to comfort him. "It'll all be over in a minute, buddy. How about you, Parker, you just close your eyes so you don't see it and we'll tell you when it's all done?"

"No!" Parker cried harder.

Maxine glanced at the monitor. "Now look," she said. "Either this boy gets calm in the next five seconds or alarms are gonna be going off and a whole bunch of people are gonna come running in here expecting to need to save his life. Daniel, I know I'm not a doctor, but I've seen a lot of kids in his position calm right down with a little bit of medication."

Daniel shook his head. "He doesn't need a sedative swirling around his system while we're trying to figure out what's wrong with him. Just give me five minutes with him and I promise you he will let us do this."

"And what makes you think we got time to spare?" Maxine's voice was soft.

Daniel's shoulders slumped as he turned back to his son. "He's getting there, aren't you, Parker?"

Maxine put her hand on his shoulder. "Move over, Dr Daddy. Let me try something." She sat down next to Parker. "Now Parker, you're too big a boy to be making all that fuss. You are old enough to understand we need to take some blood out of you so that the doctors can find out what's making you sick."

"No needle." Parker sniffed.

"I don't know any other way to get the blood we need. Not unless your daddy here is okay with us putting a whole lot of little worms on your arm to suck out your blood."

"Ew!"

"I didn't think so. So you gotta be brave for just a few minutes, Parker. Your daddy is gonna hold your hand and that is all he is going to do." She fixed Daniel with a look. "And I'm gonna tell Nurse Todd to take a break and I'm gonna take your blood myself. But I don't want to hear any screaming. You just close your eyes and hold your daddy's hand and let's get this done."

Parker hesitated. "Come on now," Maxine said. "We don't have all day." Parker flopped back on his pillow. He gave his hand to Daniel and covered his eyes with his other hand.

"Thanks, Maxine," Daniel said.

Maxine turned around as she put on a pair of latex gloves. "I know it's not easy with a sick child, but sometimes you can't be so soft on them. That boy just needed to know we meant business, that's all. And you, Daniel Jonas, you stop trying to do everything else for him and just keep holding his hand. We got this."

Marissa stiffened. "Could you please not do that?"

"Sorry." JJ took his hand away. "I… I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to…

"No, it's cool. You didn't want me to break my head if I fainted." Marissa sat down again. "I'm fine now, though."

"You sure?" JJ asked. "I can call Daniel or my Aunt Kayla or someone to take a look at you."

"Nah, no need. I'm embarrassed, I guess, but otherwise okay." Marissa forced a smile. "I've just had way too much caffeine this morning. Sorry to have scared you."

"Nah, no problem. But you're sure you're all right?"

Marissa nodded. "I had a bad feeling for a second, but it's gone now."

Rory dug his weed out of his pocket. "How about something to help take the edge off?" he asked.

JJ shot Rory a look. "What?" Rory said. Marissa shook her head slightly and he said, "Guess this'll last me a while then." and put it away.

"So you smoke weed," Marissa said, and JJ couldn't tell from her tone of voice how she felt about that. "Do you smoke too, JJ?"

Before JJ could answer, two uniforms came up behind them. "Rory Adams?" one of the uniforms said.

Rory hid his fear with a laugh. "Who wants to know?"

"Police officer." Rory glanced at JJ, who looked as surprised as he did. "Stand up, please, Rory, and put your hands behind your back. You're under arrest for armed robbery."

"He didn't do anything," JJ protested. "He was - "

"That's for a judge to decide," the cop told him, "not you. If you don't want to get locked up too, stay out of it."

JJ's eyes flashed, but Marissa touched his arm. "Don't, JJ," she said. "It's not worth it."

"Stop touching him," the other cop told her. "In fact, both of you put your hands on top of the table and sit quietly until we're done here." JJ hesitated and she said, "I'd hate to have to arrest anyone else, but we do have plenty of room in the holding cells if need be." He scowled but he did as he was told.

"You got it backwards, man," Rory complained as the first cop cuffed his hands behind his back. "I was the one who got robbed, not the other way around."

The cop ignored him, patting him down instead. "No weapons on him." He began emptying Rory's pockets onto the table. "Well, what do you know?" he said, holding up a dime bag of weed."

"Are you gonna jam him up over that too?" JJ asked.

The two cops looked at each other and the one standing by Marissa said, quickly, "Step over here with me, please, sir."

_Why do I have to be so stupid?_ JJ thought as he followed her.

After the blood test was over, Parker fell asleep almost right away. Maxine came back from dropping the blood samples off at the lab to find Daniel sitting by Parker's bedside. "He's out," he said, his voice flat.

"You look like you're halfway there yourself."

"Nothing a power nap won't fix."

"Tell you what. Why don't you get someone to sit with Parker while you and me step out for a cup of coffee."

"I'm okay for now. Maggie's gonna come by later so I can see a couple of patients."

"If you're talking about seeing patients at a time like this, then you definitely need to step out of this room so you can get your head on straight."

"Life goes on." Daniel's voice was quiet. "Even at a time like this. Other people are depending on me, and I cannot, Maxine, I cannot let them down."

"You sure there's no one who can sit with Parker for 20 minutes so you can get yourself some fresh air?"

"I'll do it," a voice said from behind them. Daniel turned to see Chloe standing in the doorway. She looked like she'd been crying all the way from Chicago, though she gave him a weak smile. "But first I want Daniel to fill me in on what's going on with our son."

The cop took JJ over to the wall of the coffee shop and made him stand against it, facing her.

He said, "Look, that came out wrong. I didn't mean - "

"If I were you, I'd stop talking before I get any deeper into trouble." JJ glanced at the ground and then back at her, his expression turning from anger to fear. She said, "I'm not out to get you or your friend. But he's in a whole lot of hot water, and if you don't control that mouth of yours, you're going to end up in it too. Understood?"

JJ nodded.

"So consider this your final warning. You mouth off again, I'm arresting you for disorderly conduct."

"It won't happen again. I promise."

"Good. Now, I had another reason for walking you over here. You and your friend seem pretty tight. I want to know what you know about last night."

JJ took a deep breath to control himself. "All I know is what he told me when he showed up on my porch last night. Some guy tried to rob him in the woods, and he was pretty shaken up about it. So my mom, she let him stay over so he could chill out."

"And you think he was telling you the truth?"

"Um," JJ said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully, "Rory's not that good a liar. Even if he got one over on me, there's no way my mom would ever have let him stay if she wasn't totally convinced he was telling the truth."

"Okay. I'll let Detective Hernandez know when we get to the station." The cop turned to go back to the table and gestured for JJ to follow her.

Eve decided to go for a walk in the park. She'd had to get out of the house so she could stop replaying her argument with Paige over and over. _She'll come home tonight, _she thought. _Of course she will_.

Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her purse quickly, hoping it was Paige. It was a number she didn't recognize; she started to hit the decline button, but stopped herself. If she was going to put out an ad, she was going to have to let herself get bothered.

"Yes?" she said, answering the phone. She didn't like what the person on the other end said, but she kept her cool. "No, I don't think that would be a good idea. There are lots of reasons you're not suitable, and I'm sure if you think about it, you can come up with one or two yourself, all right?" She hung up the phone, making a face as she headed for the pub to get a drink.

When they got back to the table, the cop put on her tough girl voice and said to JJ, "No more warnings. Have a seat.". JJ stared at the ground as he sat down and put his hands on the table again.

The cops were leading Rory away. "You two are free to go," one of them said. "But a word of advice: both of you-and especially you, young lady-should think twice about the company you keep from now on so that it doesn't get you into trouble." They left.

Marissa looked like she was blinking back tears as she picked up her coffee. "You okay?" JJ asked her.

"Oh yeah, fine. This was exactly how I wanted this morning to go."

JJ pushed away from the table so hard it moved. "I'm sorry, Marissa," he said.

"What are you sorry for now?"

"If it wasn't for me and my big mouth they probably would have left us alone. But I rubbed them the wrong way so they had to treat us like criminals. It's bad enough that cop walked me over there in front of everyone, but that was kinda on me. If the other one did anything to you while I was gone... " JJ curled his hands into fists.

"Stop it!" Marissa's voice shook and she looked more scared than angry. "It's over, JJ, just let it go."

JJ crossed his arms, turning his back to her. "You barely know me, but you're already judging me for my temper." He started to walk away.

"JJ, wait!"

JJ didn't know why, but he turned around again. "What?"

"Look," Marissa said. "You're right, I have no business telling you how to feel, especially when I'm angry too. I mean, I survive a violent robbery, and then this morning they make me show them my hands like I'm the bad guy. What IS that?" She took a step towards JJ, slowly, and said, "I didn't like having to let them… um, having to do whatever they told us. And they treated you like you were an awful, dangerous person just because you asked them a question. But I'm putting it all aside for your friend's sake. It's… it's even worse for him. We're free to stand here complaining and he's locked up for something he probably didn't do."

"He didn't!"

Marissa flinched, but she said, quietly, "I believe you, JJ."

"You do?"

She nodded. "Rory seems like the goofy type, and goofy and violent don't really mix. Besides, there's no way I can ever forget the guy who really did this. Everything about him was different from Rory. His voice… his manners… he wasn't even as tall."

"I thought you didn't see him."

"I didn't, but I heard him. I… I _felt_ him." Marissa's hands tightened into fists. "God I hate talking about it!".

"I'm sorry," JJ said. Marissa stood still, breathing heavily. She uncurled her fists and said, more softly, "I told you yesterday, you don't have to apologize because you're not the one who did this."

"I...I know. I just… I don't know what to say." JJ could feel himself blushing. He made himself shut up.

"You don't have to say anything." Marissa was standing very close to JJ; she didn't trust herself not to try to kiss him. She looked into his eyes and her whole body hungered for him, but she shook her head ruefully and made herself move back. "I don't know which is worse," she said. "Your friend getting arrested when he didn't do anything or me knowing that the real robber is still out there somewhere." She pulled her purse over her shoulder. "I can't just sit here. I have to… I have to do something.."

"Where are you going?" JJ demanded as Marissa pushed past him.

"The police station. I have to try to straighten this out." Marissa glanced over her shoulder at JJ. "You coming?"

JJ hesitated for a split second before following her.

Chloe and Daniel stood in a corner of the room, talking quietly, while Parker slept. "He's gonna be fine," Daniel told Chloe. "It's just hard to get good sleep in a hospital, that's all, plus we just had to take blood."

"If you say he will be, I'm sure he will. You know more about these things than I do." Chloe sighed as she walked over to Parker's bed and ran her hands through his hair. "Mommy's here, sweetheart," she said softly. She turned back to Daniel. "I just have one question."

"I'll give it my best shot."

"How did this start?"

Daniel sighed. He turned away from Chloe so she wouldn't see the emotions fighting to take over his face. "I don't know," he said softly. "He was fine when I sent him off to preschool. Kayla, she seems to think it's his heart, but you've got to know that it could be anything. Maybe he picked up a bug at school, maybe he had an asthma attack… we just don't know yet."

"But what if it is his heart?" Chloe's eyes widened. "I mean, you didn't say it wasn't, so is it?"

"I can't, Chloe, I can't lie… I think the chances are it's not, I think there are too many other possibilities, but if I say no, and I'm wrong... "

Chloe sat down next to Parker and took his hand in hers. "It's funny, the other day I was telling someone how big he's getting… but now he seems so small." She looked up at Daniel. "If it's okay… can I just spend a few minutes with him by myself? That way you can get a break and I can… I can make up for not being able to be here sooner."

Daniel nodded slowly.

Marissa stormed into the police station, followed by JJ. "Where's Rafe Hernandez?" she demanded.

"Young lady," the front desk sergeant said, "you're going to have to calm down if you want to see Detective Hernandez or anyone else."

Marissa took a breath but she said, "I'll calm down when you guys stop locking up the wrong people and get the animal who attacked me."

Hope came out of her office. "I've got this," she told the desk sergeant. She smiled at Marissa and said, "What can I do for you, Marissa? Did you remember something else about the night you were attacked?"

"Kind of," Marissa wrung her hands, suddenly feeling nervous. "Um, the guy who did this... He's not the guy I just saw get arrested right in front of me."

"Come into my office," Hope said, putting her hand on Marissa's shoulder. Marissa flinched. "I… um, please don't touch me."

"Sorry. Follow me." Hope looked over her shoulder at JJ. "If you're here to see Rory, you're going to have to wait, JJ. I'm sorry." She walked off with Marissa before JJ could say anything else. He sank down in an empty seat and put his head in his hands.

Kayla was in her office doing some paperwork when her phone buzzed. She glanced at it and saw the notification that Parker's blood tests were ready. She turned her chair around so she could sign into her computer and see what was going on.

Kayla scrolled slowly through the lab report, taking notes by hand at the same time. Suddenly, she stopped and stared at something on her screen. "That can't be right," she said under her breath. She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Dr. Collins? This is Kayla Brady over at University Hospital. Yes, Parker Jonas' doctor. We did just get the blood panel back; actually, that's why I'm calling. I think you'd better take a look at this and tell me what you think."

"So," Hope asked Marissa once they were settled in her office. "Tell me exactly what you remembered."

Marissa fidgeted with the charm on her necklace. "The guy wasn't too much taller than me," she said slowly, "and he had kind of a deep voice."

Hope wrote that down. "But you still don't remember anything about what he looked like?"

Marissa shook her head. "I told you, I never saw him. But I know one thing-that boy you arrested had nothing to do with it. So can you please let him go?"

"Not up to me," Hope told her. "But tell you what. How about we put him in a lineup and if you don't recognize anybody - "

"No." Marissa got up. "Detective Brady, I don't need a lineup to tell me who did and didn't attack me. I was sitting right there when they arrested that kid. Your officers treated me and JJ like we were criminals, like we were in cahoots with him, when the only thing any of us did was have a cup of coffee together! So don't waste my time asking me if I can ID someone who I know is innocent. Let him go and get back to looking for the creep who really did this to me."

"Wait, you were with JJ?"

"Yeah. I happened to run into him and his friend at the coffee shop. Why? Is something wrong with him?"

"Of course not. I just didn't - "

Marissa held her hand up. "You know what, never mind. I don't want to hear it. After seeing the way your officers treated us, I already know that you all make up your minds about people first and get to know them second. If there's anything about JJ I should know, I'm sure I'll find out for myself."

Marissa's glare seemed to be daring Hope to argue with her. Hope closed her tablet and said, "I was going to say that I didn't know you knew each other."

Marissa crossed her arms. "I told you before, Detective Brady. I know you're not my friend. So why would you know anything about me, or want to, that doesn't have to do with finding the creep who attacked me?"

Hope raised her eyebrow. "You're right. I'm not your friend. But believe it or not, I think I can be."

"Can I go?"

Hope nodded. "If it doesn't offend you too much, ask JJ to step in here for a minute. I need to get his statement about Rory's whereabouts last night on record."

There was a knock on Kayla's office door. She looked up and took her glasses off. "Dr. Collins," she said to the tall woman standing in her doorway. "Thank you for coming so quickly."

"Any time a child's health is involved, I try to make time," Dr. Collins said as she came in. "What are we looking at?"

Kayla turned her computer screen. "We ran preliminary blood tests prior to - "

"Do you have a print out? My eyes can't take too much of staring at a screen all day."

Kayla's lips thinned. She forced a half smile. "Of course." She pressed a button to print the results and handed it to Dr. Collins.

Dr. Collins scanned it quickly and said, "I'm guessing you're concerned about these elevated protein levels."

Kayla nodded. "Is there any chance the test is inaccurate? Cross contamination or anything like that?"

"Unless the lab mixed up this boy's blood with someone else's, that's just wishful thinking. Come on, now, if you didn't know the boy's name and you were just looking at test results, would you even ask a question like that?"

"I guess not," Kayla admitted.

"I didn't think so. No, unfortunately this is exactly what it says it is. Bring the parents in here and let's tell them so that we can get on with it before it's too late."

JJ came halfway into Hope's office before he remembered to knock. "You wanted to see me?"

"Have a seat." Hope's tone was all business; JJ didn't like it. He crossed his arms as he sat down.

"Officer Horowitz said that you have information about where Rory was last night."

JJ's face relaxed. "He was with me all night."

"What time did he get there?"

"I dunno. 11 or a little after. Mom was flipping out about me being on campus so late and then he showed up in the middle of it."

Hope put her pen down and leaned forward. "Your mom worries because she cares. I hope you took what she said to heart."

JJ played with his backpack strap. "Are we done?"

"Almost. What'd he tell you about where he'd been?"

"Some guy robbed him in the woods." Hope gave JJ a look over the top of her glasses. "What?" he said.

"Rory told you the robber I'm investigating attacked him and it never crossed your mind or your mother's to call me?"

"Mom probably would have," JJ said, "but I didn't want her to." Hope shot him a suspicious look. "Look, he was in no condition to be seeing you guys last night. I was afraid you'd take one look at him and forget about what happened to him cause of how he was."

"You mean because he was high."

JJ shrugged.

"If Rory's story is true, calling me right away could have given us a chance to catch this guy. Now we have to waste time figuring out what the truth is, and if Rory's innocent, the real robber has had plenty of time to get away."

JJ's eyes flashed but he just said, "Can I go now?"

Hope sighed. "I guess. But JJ… hopefully there won't be a next time, but if you run into any more crime victims, you send them my way, understand?"

"Duly noted." JJ started to leave. Hope said, "And you can tell anyone who it might affect, we care more about what happened to them than about drug charges."

JJ turned around. "Oh yeah?"

"Of course."

"So you're not gonna jam Rory up over the weed you found when you arrested him?"

Hope sighed. "I'm sorry, honey, but that's different. Rory broke the law, period. He has to pay the price."

JJ turned his back to her. "You wouldn't have even known he was holding if you hadn't got him mixed up with the guy who put a knife to his throat. That's messed up. Besides, what price did I pay for all the stuff I did that was way worse than just holding onto a bag of weed for later?"

"Your case was completely different."

"Why? Because I'm a Horton?"

"No. Because you cleaned up your act. Rory has the same chance to go before a judge and plead his case you did."

"It's not fair, Hope. It's not like you caught him smoking it."

Hope stared at him. Then she said, quietly, "I think you know better than that, JJ, especially after the problems you've had. Off the record-are you using with him again?"

"No!" JJ sounded offended. "Hope, I haven't touched that stuff in over a year, and honestly I never want to see it again."

"Okay. In that case, why are you losing it over him getting in trouble for it?"

JJ shook his head but said nothing. Hope came around to the other side of the desk. "I'm not asking as a cop, JJ. I'm asking as someone who cares about you."

JJ sighed. "Rory can't get a break, Hope. We didn't tell you like we should have, I get that, but he's still a victim and you're still locking him up anyway. Plus, I did way worse stuff than he's ever done and at my sentencing hearing, the room was packed. Even Mr. Carver stood up for me. But Rory, when he goes before the judge, he'll be lucky if anyone but me even cares enough to show up. So I dunno, maybe if he could get a break this one time, he'd… maybe it'd wake him up... "

"That's sweet, but I have to tell you that in my experience as a cop, that's not the way it works. I'm sorry, JJ, but unless something major happens, Rory's headed for a life in and out of prison."

JJ's shoulders slumped. Hope said, "If overlooking the weed he had on him could change that, I'd do it. But it won't help, honey. If anything, it might make him worse."

JJ took a deep breath. He turned towards Hope and said, "Can you at least call Mr. Jennings and see if he'll maybe take Rory's case? I know Rory can't pay but - "

Hope blushed slightly at the mention of Aiden's name.

"Please, Hope," JJ said. "Mr. Jennings got me out of a 10 year sentence when he barely knew me. If anyone can do anything for Rory, it's him."

"I'll see what I can do," Hope said. "But I can't promise anything."

"I know." JJ pulled his bag over one shoulder. "I can go now, right?"

Hope nodded. She collapsed in her seat as JJ walked out. _JJ better not let Rory drag him down with him, _she thought, rubbing her temples. She took out her phone and called someone. "Do you think you can meet me at Club TBD in an hour? I have to talk to you. It involves JJ."

Eve sat at one of the outdoor tables by Brady Pub, nursing a glass of wine. It was a little chilly out; she pulled her sweater closed as she took a sip.

She saw Eric Brady walking across the patio. He had his camera around his neck and was carrying some other camera equipment, lights or something.

"Eric!" Eve said as Eric passed by. "I was just thinking about calling you, but it's so much nicer to meet over a drink, don' t you think? Why don't you have a seat and I'll order another glass of wine...what do you like?"

"Um," Eric said, reddening slightly. "I actually may have to take a raincheck."

"Another one? If I didn't know better, Eric Brady, I'd think you're purposely keeping busy to avoid me."

"Not at all. I just happen to be on my way to a shoot right now."

Eve sipped her wine. "I understand. This'll only take but a minute, though. What difference will just a minute make? For all your client knows, their clock is just a tiny bit fast. Besides, I was hoping you'd pray with me, and I know you wouldn't want to put some grumpy client before a prayer request."

Eric looked at her like he was trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or not. "What can I help you with?" he asked.

"Well… this is probably me being silly, but they say God answers all prayers and does all things, right?"

"Almost all things," Eric agreed. "Sometimes He has a different idea of where you should go, so even if He doesn't answer your prayer, you can rest assured that He's giving you what you most need."

"The thing is, Eric," Eve said slowly, "my daughter Paige is insisting on doing something that I think is too dangerous, and it seems like there's nothing I can say or do to stop her."

"That's always tough. I can't think of anything harder than seeing clearly where someone's headed and not being able to turn them from the path they're going down. It's at times like these that you really have to trust in God. If Paige is determined to make this decision, just let her do it and trust that God will protect her."

"How can you have so much faith when you have lost so much?" Eve asked.

Eric sighed. "It saddens me that you have so little. Paige will be fine, and so will you." He glanced at his phone. "I'm sorry, I have to run. I'd be happy to hear the specifics about what's going on with Paige later, though."

Eve's phone buzzed. She looked at it and made a face. "I actually have to run too," she said. "A situation has kind of come up."

After Eric walked on, Eve picked up her wine and said, "I'm going to need a drink to deal with this." She picked up her phone and texted somebody:

_The answer is still NO. Now leave me alone._

T was working behind the bar when Paige and Daphne came up. "So you survived another day!" he said to Paige. "I'm glad you decided to come back. Who's this?"

Paige wasn't really in the mood. "T, Daphne. Daphne, T. He manages the bar when Sonny and Ben aren't here." Daphne looked puzzled. "You know," Paige said under her breath. "JJ's cousin and that guy who dates his sister."

"Right," Daphne said. "So you're Sonny's right hand man?" she asked T.

"Right hand, left hand and anything else he needs," T said. "Gosh, that didn't even make sense, did it? Sorry. Don't know what's wrong with me today."

"I would quit while I was ahead if I were you," Paige told him.

T's face fell and he said, "What can I get you ladies?" His eyes lingered on Daphne. Paige's eyes narrowed, though she told herself it was stupid to care since T wasn't her type anyway.

"We just need some boxes," Paige said, "if you happen to have any. I'm moving and I want to make sure I have enough."

"Tall order, but I'll see what I can do." T went to the back. Daphne giggled. "He's cute," she said. Paige gave her a look and she added, quickly, "in a goofy, not really boyfriend material kind of way." T came back with a couple of boxes and Paige thanked him before hurrying out of the bar.

JJ doubled back to the police station after class to see whether Rory was still there. The desk sergeant said he could see visitors now and took JJ to the cell to see him. "Five minutes," she said, and stood by the door watching them.

Rory was sitting on his bunk, staring into space. JJ looked back at him, feeling awkward. "Sorry they haven't cut you loose yet, man," he said at last.

Rory laughed. "Don't look so down in the mouth. We had some good times in this cell, granted we were both on the same side of it then, but still."

JJ tried to make himself smile, but he couldn't do it.

"Seriously," Rory said, "don't worry about me. They say the judge'll let me go without any bail tomorrow and then it'll be back to good times, at least til my date with him over this weed."

"Good to hear. Listen, man, I called in a favor to get you a real lawyer."

"Thanks but no thanks." Rory put his hands on the bars, but took them off again when the guard looked their way. "I already beat the robbery charge, thanks to you and that hot new girl you introduced me to. They're not gonna keep me locked up for long over one little bag of weed, man. I can face it without paying the steep fees some high class lawyer's gonna charge me for nothing."

"This guy's the best," JJ argued. "Dude, he got me out of that prison sentence I was facing after he'd only met me once."

"That guard's gonna kick you out of here any second, so let's not waste any more time on this. I need you to do something for me."

"What?" JJ crossed his arms.

"I'm supposed to meet Bev to… um, to study, in like an hour. I know she's not exactly your favorite person anymore, but do you think you could go in my place so she knows I didn't just stand her up?"

"I guess."

"Look, dude, I wouldn't ask if I didn't have a really good reason. Bev's in trouble, JJ, and that trouble's name is Cole."

"Cole! That dude's coming around again? I thought we were rid of him now that we're at Salem U."

"I know, right? But Bev's been acting real weird and the night I was attacked, I saw him, dude. I think she's seeing him on the down low again."

JJ sighed. "All right, where are you meeting her?"

"Probably some place you don't wanna be. Just text her, man, tell her I told you to. Oh and also, if my brother calls - "

"Time's up," the guard said. "Let's go."

"If your brother calls, what?" JJ asked, but the guard was coming over towards him, so he had to leave without any answer.

"Thanks for meeting me," Hope said to Jen as she sat down across from her.

"Of course. Thank you for keeping an eye out for my son." Jen's hands were shaking slightly as she put sugar in her tea. "What's going on?"

Hope sighed. "That's a loaded question. I'm not sure where to begin." She sipped her coffee. "What do you know about JJ's friend Rory?"

Jennifer's eyes widened. "What did Rory do now, and how is my son involved?"

"We had reason to believe Rory was involved in the campus robberies. It turns out he's probably not, but anyway, we arrested him a few hours ago. Honey, JJ was with him at the time of his arrest, and, well, let's just say his behavior left a lot to be desired."

What'd he do?"

"I wasn't there, but the reports say he was talking back to the officers and making them worry that he was going to interfere with the arrest."

Jennifer shook her head. "I'm sorry, Hope. I'll talk with JJ and make sure he knows that his behavior is completely unacceptable."

"I hope you have better luck than I did. JJ happened to stop by the station, I guess to find out what was going on with Rory, so I pulled him into my office. He is absolutely convinced that the only reason Rory acts the way he does is that nobody gives him a chance to straighten himself out, and he won't be talked out of that."

"Yes," Jen said. "That's exactly what he told me last night when I didn't want Rory to stay. I knew I shouldn't have given in, but JJ was so convinced that all it would take was one night at our house… I just couldn't bear to say no."

Hope sighed. "That's what scares me. Not you, honey. Him. JJ will do anything to give Rory that second chance that he thinks will make all the difference. I'm worried, cuz, that he's going to end up doing something illegal and get himself into trouble all over again."

"I can't take that," Jen said.

"None of us can."

"I don't know what to do. I don't have any control over him anymore, and anything I say falls on deaf ears, if he's even around for me to say it."

Hope reached for Jen's hand. "Stay strong, cuz. JJ's not in trouble yet. Hopefully this time you can head it off at the pass." Her phone buzzed; she glanced at it and sighed.

"The station?" Jen asked.

Hope nodded. "I hope it's not another robbery," she said as she stood up. "But listen, let's talk soon, okay? If we both look out for JJ, and so does everyone else who cares about him, hopefully he won't go too far."

Jen stood up to hug her cousin. When Hope left, she sat down again and flipped through the pictures on her phone. She found one from a long time ago of her with Jack and both the kids. JJ had been about eight years old then; he had his father's mischievous gleam in his eye and he was grinning broadly. She shook her head, blinking back tears as she stared at it.

Marissa decided to head back to the dorms after Hope dismissed her. The coffee was wearing off and she was exhausted.

She heard a creaking noise behind her as she put her key into the lock. Her entire body tensed up and she dropped the key on the floor. She picked it up, quickly, and ran to the end of the hall where she flattened herself against a wall to see who was there.

Someone came out of the room across the hall from her and went in the other direction. Marissa didn't dare move until they were gone. She went back down the hall, looking over her shoulder to make sure that nobody was following her. She opened the door quickly; as soon as she got inside, she slammed it closed and locked it. She stood against the door, breathing hard. Her legs felt like they weren't going to support her weight; her knees buckled and she slid down to the floor. She sat against the door, hugging her knees to her chest. Tears rolled down her face and her shoulders shook, but she didn't make a sound.

Eve was in the living room when Paige and Daphne came in. "Uh, Mom, hi," Paige said. "This is Daphne, the girl I'm moving in with."

"It is so nice to meet you," Eve said. "Paige has told me so much about you. Every other word out of her mouth these days is Daphne Daphne Daphne."

"Mom!" Paige said.

"It's all right. I've heard a lot about you too, Mrs. Larson."

"Then you should have heard that I expect everyone to call me Eve."

"Right. I forgot."

"We'd better get started so we don't have to be out in the dark," Paige said. "Mom, we just came by to pick up some of my stuff."

Eve's face fell. "Oh," she said. "Well, all right. I'll be out here if…" But Paige was already heading to her room. "If you need anything," Eve said.

While Chloe was with Parker, Daniel decided to get caught up on his paperwork. He was in his office, taking notes on a patient's chart, when Jen knocked.

"Jennifer. Hey."

"Aunt Maggie told me about Parker," Jen said. "I didn't know if you'd be okay with me coming to visit him, but I just wanted to say that I'm so sorry."

"Thanks." Daniel didn't look up from the chart he was working on. Jen sighed and said, "You know, when I was pregnant with JJ I was told that he was going to be so disabled that he'd never be able to live a normal life. And look at him now. So I'm sure Parker will make a full recovery."

"Yeah. So am I." Daniel put his pen down. "Listen, Jen, I'm sure it would cheer Parker up if you stopped in to see him. Chloe's with him right now and she wants her privacy, but maybe later - "

"Good. I'm glad Chloe was able to make it." Jen smiled, but Daniel looked up and he could see the sadness in her eyes.

"Did you need to talk about something?" Daniel asked her. "You look kind of… I don't know… like the weight of the world's on your shoulders."

Jen nodded. "I don't know that this is the right time to bring it up, but… I'm really worried about my son and I wanted to make sure that you and I are on the same page about him right now."

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Look, Jennifer, I'm not up for anything intense right now, for reasons that should be obvious."

"Oh no, nothing intense. Of course not." Jen played with her ring. "I know you and I have had our differences-a lot of them-but the one thing I think we can agree on is that we both want what's best for my son."

"Of course. I care about JJ. And about Abigail too. And Jennifer, I don't think we can ever be what we were, but you do know that I still care about you."

"I know," Jen mumbled. She sighed deeply. "But getting back to JJ… Daniel, I think he may be in trouble."

"What… what kind of trouble?"

Jen shook her head. "It's starting all over again. The staying out til all hours of the night, the not talking to me, the hanging out with that pothead friend of his. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I keep thinking that if I don't put a stop to this, one of these days I'm going to wake up to another phone call from Hope that my son is in jail." Jen blinked back tears. "I can't bear that thought, Daniel, and if you and I can't agree on how to deal with him, it's just going to make it that much worse."

Daniel's headache was getting worse; he rubbed his temples and said, slowly, "Okay, Jennifer, first of all, I want you to know that I would never undermine your relationship with JJ. If he comes to me, yeah I talk with him and yeah I keep it between the two of us, but I always… I always encourage him to go to you."

"I appreciate that." Jen twisted her ring. She turned away from Daniel, trying to get her thoughts together. "When JJ was a little boy, his father and I just couldn't see eye-to-eye about his behavior. I thought JJ was getting too wild. Jack thought he was just spirited. At first it was just friendly disagreements but by the time JJ was old enough for boarding school…" she shook her head. "It was either send him away or our marriage was over."

"That was a hell of a choice," Daniel said, remembering how JJ had once angrily demanded that Jennifer choose between Daniel and him.

"It was my idea to send JJ to that school," Jen said softly. "Jack thought we could work things out as a family, but we were fighting all the time and without some space I didn't see any way… and now, I will always wonder, if I hadn't made that choice, would my son be so troubled?"

"You were doing the best you could to keep your marriage from falling apart," Daniel said. "You do know that, don't you? And also, Jennifer, also, whatever happened then, JJ is an adult now. So I don't know what it is you expect from me, but I can tell you, he has to make his own choices and we… we have to let him."

"Yes. His own choices." Jen turned back towards Daniel. "It's just, I understand now that you and I are better apart than together… but JJ, he still looks up to you, Daniel… so as far as parenting him goes, I don't want us to be on opposite sides like Jack and I ended up being."

"What exactly is it you're worried about?"

"I… I think I made a mistake last night with JJ. I let - "

Just then, Kayla knocked on the door, then came in. "Sorry to interrupt," she said. "Daniel, I have some news about Parker that can't wait."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Did we get his blood panel back?"

"I think you'd better step into my office."

"I gotta go tell Chloe." Daniel sounded stunned. "Jennifer, if you wanna look in on Parker for a few minutes, now is… now is probably a good time." As Jen started to get up, he said, "If you wanna continue this conversation later…"

"Parker comes first," Jen said, blinking back tears too. "But if you have a free moment, maybe you could call me?"

Daniel nodded.

"Don't forget, the dorm is a lot smaller than this apartment, or even just this bedroom," Daphne said as Paige packed a bunch of photo albums into a box. Paige, who was looking towards the living room, didn't answer. "Um, hello?" Daphne said.

"What? Sorry. I was just…"

"You were just worrying about your mom. She'll be fine, Paige, and so will you."

"She was too friendly when we came in. It was almost like she was her normal self."

"And that's a problem? Paige, she's coming around. What more do you want?"

"No. I know my mom. She's only acting like this because she's up to something."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Paige put her finger to her lips and tiptoed up to the bedroom door, which she cracked open just enough so she could look through.

Eve opened the door. "I told you," she said under her breath, "this is not a good time. Now look, my daughter's still here and - "

The person on the other side of the door pushed her way in. She was young, maybe a year or two older than Paige, and her blond hair looked like a mess even though it was tied back. She was chewing gum. "I know what this part of the house looks like," she said, "and I'll take your daughter's room sight unseen."

_I know that girl from somewhere, _Paige thought.

"Now look here, Jill," Eve said, keeping her voice so low that Paige had to strain to hear it.

Paige's mouth dropped open and she took a step back. "That's the girl," she whispered to Daphne. "That's the girl that JJ and I broke up over."

"No way. What's she doing here?"

Before Paige could answer, Jill turned, and Paige could see how large her belly was. "Oh come on," Jill said lightly. "You're not going to turn away a pregnant girl who has no place else to stay, are you?"

There was a tall Black woman standing next to Kayla's desk when Daniel and Chloe came in. After everyone was settled in their seats, Kayla said, "This is Emily Collins. She's a pediatric heart specialist over at St. Mary's. Since Parker's symptoms could very well point to a problem with his heart, I wanted her opinion on his blood tests."

"And?" Daniel asked.

Dr. Collins opened a folder and handed Daniel a piece of paper. "These are the results of Parker's blood panel. As you can see-" she pointed with a manicured finger at a highlighted row-"Parker has high levels of troponin T in his blood. In addition, his myoglobin levels are elevated, as you can see down here."

Chloe looked at Daniel. "What does that mean?"

"Are you absolutely sure?" Daniel asked Dr. Collins. "Cardiology's not my specialty, obviously, but I thought I read recently that there's all sorts of reasons for false positives, especially when it comes to oxygenation of the blood."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Jonas," Dr. Collins said, "but that's only possible if he'd been exercising hard right before the test."

"Daniel," Chloe said again. "What does that myo whatever level mean?"

"He cried his lungs out. He was terrified of the needle."

"That could possibly account for the myoglobin level, though I don't think so. In any case, how do you explain the protein elevation?"

Chloe turned towards Dr. Collins. "Could somebody please just tell me-preferably in plain English-just what the hell is wrong with our son?"

Kayla glanced at Dr. Collins, who nodded. "Chloe," she said softly, "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Parker's blood tests suggest that his heart is damaged. It could be minor, it could be major, but…"

"...I think the chances are high that your little boy's heart is failing," Dr. Collins finished for her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe turned and stared at Dr. Collins. Dr. Collins was still talking, saying something about further tests they had to run, but it washed right over her. The talking stopped and she realized Dr. Collins was waiting for an answer, so she nodded and said, "Of course. Whatever he needs," before turning to look at Daniel.

Daniel had a puzzled expression on his face, or at least that's what Chloe assumed it was. (Why did he have to be so hard to read, especially at a time like now?) Kayla said, "I know this has to be a shock for both of you."

"You could say that," Daniel agreed. He glanced down at his copy of the test results. "Are you sure, Dr. Collins… are you sure that there's no other explanation? I mean, don't you think if Parker's got a heart condition… don't you think that one or both of us would have, I dunno, noticed something was off about him before today?"

"I know it seems like his symptoms came on all of a sudden," Dr. Collins said, "but I'm sure if you look back, there were things going on that didn't seem all that problematic at the time. Many children with heart issues have trouble catching their breath after exercise, tire easily… perhaps have dizzy spells that last only a few seconds. It usually isn't so dramatic that you would necessarily think it needs to be checked out, until suddenly it is."

"Maybe for most people, but for me, I'm a doctor. Even though cardiology is not my field, I should know the signs, and I should know when something's wrong with my son. And Chloe, she runs everything she notices by me. Every cold, every fever, every instance of abnormal behavior… and I know, I know if she saw anything like you're describing, she wouldn't waste a second before calling me to get my opinion."

"I…" Chloe was stunned. "Did I tell you last week he just wanted to lie around watching TV all day? I had to keep telling him no. Oh God, did I forget to tell you?"

"That wouldn't make a difference," Dr. Collins told her. "Whether it was last week or this week, sooner or later his heart was going to start to fail. These things are usually congenital, and once they start…" She sighed. "Well, I don't want to scare you all until we've had a chance to run more tests and know exactly what we're looking at." Her phone buzzed. She glanced at it. "I'm sorry, another case awaits me. I'm going to have to leave you in Dr. Brady's hands for now, but I want you to know I will be following up with you once we have more information. In the meantime, here's my card. If either of you has any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me."

Dr. Collins left. "She didn't waste any time getting out of here," Chloe remarked.

Kayla gave Chloe a sympathetic smile. "I know this is a lot for both of you to absorb. If you need some time to - "

"I think I just need to be with my little boy," Chloe said, her voice breaking. "I need to hold him and… and tell him he's going to be okay… and...and I need to believe it…" She ran out of the room.

"Go be with her, and with Parker," Kayla said to Daniel.

"I think she needs a minute alone."

"And you?"

"I'll be okay," Daniel said. "I gotta make a couple calls, tell a couple people and then…" His voice trailed off. "Thanks, Kayla, thanks for everything." He walked out of the room, slowly. Kayla sighed as she turned back to her computer.

"She's pregnant?" Paige whispered to Daphne. "Oh my God. You don't think - "

"I don't think anything, except for that I can't believe she showed up at your front door after she messed with your boyfriend."

"Yeah. I don't think that's a coincidence." Paige leaned forward to try to hear what Eve and Jill were saying. "I want to know how my mom knows that girl and what she's doing here now."

Daphne pulled the door closed. Paige glared at her but Daphne said, "You're moving out, remember? Who your mom moves in here and how she knows them isn't any of your business. Anyway, it doesn't matter now. I mean, you and JJ are done, right? So who cares what the story is with this Jill?" She handed Paige a roll of tape. "Let's close these boxes so we can get out of here."

In the other room, Eve glanced at Paige's bedroom door, relieved to see it was closed all the way. "This is not a good time. Get out of here."

"Is Paige here?" Jill took a few steps towards the bedroom. "I'd love to swap stories, find out how the other side lives…I know, I know, she's not interested in what it's like to live on the streets, but I'm sure I could spice it up for her."

Eve blocked the bedroom door. "You mess with my daughter," she said under her breath, "and that little video I have on you is going to be the least of your concerns."

"Look, all I'm asking for is a place to stay, and from the sound of it, you're pretty eager to fill one up, so we can both win. Or-" Jill reached behind Eve to put her hand on the doorknob-"we can both lose."

"All right, fine. But the room's not available til the end of the week."

Jill pouted. "But what am I supposed to do until then? It's hard to get work in my condition, you know? I have enough to get by, but if I spend it on a hotel, how am I supposed to pay the rent you're asking?"

"Well, that's your problem, now isn't it?"

"Maybe Paige will lend me some money."

"You know what?" Eve said, "I bet I can pull some strings with a friend to get you into the homeless shelter run by St. Luke's. Free room and board, now isn't that better than having to pay hundreds of dollars a month at a place like this?"

"That's sweet, but no. I came all the way back here cause I want to live in a house, you know? The shelters are even worse than the streets, especially when they know you've been knocked up. So if this room isn't available yet, you know what would be really neat? You take my hotel costs out of my first month's rent, cause it's your fault you advertised this room when it wasn't available yet."

"What, do you think I'm made of money?"

"You sure seemed to be when you wanted me to do something about that little boy who was after your sweet, innocent daughter."

"All right, fine." Eve dug a few bills out of her purse. "Here. Go stay at the Salem Inn and count your blessings that I'm not calling the cops on you right now." She shoved the bills at Jill, who tucked them into her blouse and said, "Say hi to your daughter for me," as she left the apartment.

Marissa's phone was ringing when she came out of the shower. She wrapped her robe around her and looked at the display. It was her mom. She sighed and picked it up. "Hey Mom," she said, trying to sound cheerful. "Can I call you back? I just - oh." She squeezed the phone tight as she listened. "Um, no, I haven't heard."

Marissa tightened her robe. "I'm sure the papers are exaggerating, Mom. This guy… um… he's probably only attacked, like, one girl or something." She swallowed hard. "No, Mom, I don't think it's because we're near Chicago. No, a smaller school wouldn't have been better. Look, I like it here, okay? And you and Dad agreed I could try it for a year and see if I liked being so close to a major city." She glanced over her shoulder to make sure the door was locked, forcing herself to breathe deep so she could sound normal. "Of course I lock my door, Mom. I'm not an idiot. Look, I just got out of the shower and I have to get dressed, so I'm going to have to cut this short, okay? Yes, I promise I will be careful. Love you too."

Marissa hung up and stood holding the phone against her heart. _Sorry, Mom, _she thought, _but if you knew, you'd make me pack my bags right now, and there's no way I'm coming home._

Nicole had put on her best matronly dress and a pair of fashion glasses without any lenses in them before heading over to Salem U. She checked her hand mirror now that her hair was flat enough to seem conservative, wondering whether she should add a hat to complete her church-lady image. _This will have to do, _she thought.

She walked into the security office and said to whoever was sitting at the desk, "Excuse me, do you know where I would find a student I'm looking for?"

"Depends," the security guard said. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I'm the executive producer of Youth News Today," Nicole said, trying to sound as stuffy as she imagined the producer of such a ridiculous show would sound. "It's come to our attention that Jeff Adkins has been doing exemplary work as an intern for Titan TV, and we'd like to talk to him about possibly coming on board. I understand he's a student here, and I was wondering if you could direct me towards - "

"Absolutely," the security guard said. "As soon as I finish stamping a sign on my forehead that says sucker." He grimaced. "Did you think I wouldn't recognize you, Ms Walker? I watch your news program every day."

"Well, I'm glad somebody's watching it," Nicole said. "Means I won't be out of a job any time soon, right?" She smiled, but the guard didn't smile back. "Look, here's the thing. Jeff's been - "

"I don't care what kind of crazy story you come up with next, I'm not buying it any more than I bought the executive producer act. Now, I know it really burns your biscuits that the police are more concerned about protecting our reputation than your ratings, but that's too bad. You're not getting your exclusive on how Jeff Adkins was attacked last night or about the arrest the cops made this morning."

"Jeff was attacked?" Nicole gave the guard a skeptical look. "What's his story this time?"

"Don't pretend you don't already know. You're a real pretty face, Ms. Walker, but you're a horrible liar. Now get out of here before I decide to watch your competition tonight. Or worse, arrest you for trespassing."

"Yeah, right. You don't want that kind of publicity. I can just see the headlines now. News personality jailed for trying to uncover the underbelly of Salem University."

"Leave your card and I will tell you if and when Mr. Adkins is available for interviews. Until then, your press pass is revoked, and if you're not careful, I'll call your boss and tell him we are no longer interested in that new internship position he's offering our students. Now get."

Nicole walked out of the office and leaned against a wall while she thought about her next move. "Horrible liar?" she said to herself. "You really don't know who you're dealing with, do you Mr. Security Guard?"

Roman called Rafe and Hope into his office again as soon as he'd got off the phone with the DA. "The DA is going to drop the robbery charges for now. She doesn't think there's a whole lot of evidence against the suspect, especially given the fact that both of these boys are accusing each other of being the real criminal. Now, we still have til tomorrow morning before the suspect's bail hearing on the drug charge, so we might be able to use that as leverage to get something out of him tonight. But that still leaves the problem of not knowing what the hell the truth is about these robberies. Any ideas?"

"I'll interrogate the suspect again," Rafe said wearily.

"You really think you'll get anything out of him we haven't already got?" Hope asked. "His story's been pretty consistent, and unfortunately he's pretty used to being in and out of jail, so a few hours in a cell probably won't change that."

"I'm not talking about asking him the same questions again. Maybe we can approach it from a different angle. The kid says he was robbed, correct? So why not put the same questions to him we put to every other victim? If he's lying, he may slip up. And if he's telling the truth-which by the way is what my money's on-he may be able to give us something that helps the case."

"Makes sense," Roman agreed. "You think you got rapport with him, or would it be better to let Hope take a crack at him?"

"Let me do it," Rafe said. "Hope deserves to go home and see that little girl of hers. Besides, if he thinks I'm coming around to believing him he might be more likely to open up."

"All right. In the mean time, Hope, what do you wanna do about the victim who made the accusation?"

"With all due respect, picking up a suspect just on one person's say-so didn't work out the first time, and it'll just make look weak if we do it again. But we do need to get some questions answered. For right now, I say proceed delicately. Talk to Jeff as if we completely believe his story."

"I sure wish we could get some more details out of these victims," Rafe said. "That's the biggest sticking point. I mean, it could be neither of these guys, and then we're back to square one. Though with both of them accusing each other, it's likely that one or both of them are involved."

Hope's eyes widened. "I have an idea," she said. "Give me til after you've re-interviewed Rory to check on something with Marlena. With any luck, we'll be able to get those details after all."

Parker had woken up and asked for a story, but there weren't any books in his room. Jen took out her tablet and found a story online for him. "This was JJ's favorite when he was a little boy," she said and began reading _The Little Engine That Could_ to him. Parker's eyes began to close again, but she kept reading.

"The little engine climbed and climbed," Jen read.

"At last she reached the top of the mountain," Chloe finished from the doorway, her voice full of tears. She sniffed as she came in. Jen put her tablet away and stood up. Chloe said, "He loves trains. But I guess you know that." She came over to the bed and just looked at her son.

Jen wanted to put her hand on Chloe's shoulder, but wasn't sure if it would be welcome, so she just stood behind her and said, softly, "What did Kayla say?"

"That she was sorry." Chloe blinked back tears. "That he… something's wrong with his heart. There are all sorts of fancy medical terms for it that I'm sure Daniel can explain if he ever gets back here, but basically his little heart is giving out, and it has been since… since he was born but we didn't see it." Her shoulders shook.

Jennifer's eyes widened. "Oh, Chloe, I'm so sorry." She watched as Chloe took a rosary out of her purse. Chloe made the sign of the cross over Parker and just stood there, holding her rosary, her mouth moving silently, praying, while tears rolled down her face.

"Chloe?" Jen said. "They said they could fix it, didn't they? There has to be medication or something they can do for him."

"I… I don't know… they were talking about he needs this test and that test but I couldn't…" Chloe swallowed hard. "Where the hell is Daniel?" she demanded. "He should be with his son while he… while he still can be, but instead he leaves Parker with us while he goes to do who knows what!"

"He'll be here," Jen reassured her. "Daniel… has to process this in his own way. He won't come in here until he can pull himself together enough to make it look like everything's fine."

In his office, Daniel moved the mouse around to wake up his computer so he could do some research into Parker's condition, but it gave him that hourglass showing that it was thinking, then the mouse froze.

"Come on!" Daniel said under his breath. He hit the reset button on the computer hard to reboot it. His anger grew as he waited; he pushed a bunch of files off his desk.

A picture dropped to the floor. Daniel picked it up; it was a picture of him and Parker from last Christmas, when Chloe had dropped him off for a surprise visit. Daniel blinked back tears as he looked at it.

The door opened; a shadow fell across the room. Daniel looked up at Nicole, who was standing in the doorway. "I guess the news you got about Parker isn't good," she said softly, coming all the way into the room.

"Everything's not fine!" Chloe paced around the room. "That heart doctor said she didn't want to scare us until she knew more, what does that mean? Does it mean that Parker could, that he's going to…" She turned back to her son and began smoothing out his blanket.

"You know," Jen said, "I don't know what it means either, and I'm probably the last person you want to hear this from, but don't let yourself even think that. That sweet little boy needs to know that he's going to feel better again, and if you let yourself believe that he doesn't have a chance, he will pick up on it."

"LIke you know anything about dealing with a… a very ill child. Your son's self-destructive habits aren't the same thing. Those are chosen. This is… this is not."

Jen bit her lip. "I'm going to let that go because I know how upset you are. But before my son was born, I was told I'd be lucky if he ever walked or said a word or even smiled at me. And I did my best to act like he was fine, like he was going to be just fine. I know that Parker's condition is more serious than what they said JJ's would be, but if you want him to get better, you have to cling to every tiny sliver of hope that his heart is going to keep beating and that he is going to make a full recovery."

"That serious, huh?" Nicole said after Daniel had told her. "I'm sorry. I… I don't know what to say."

"I've been on this side of the desk so many times, Nicole," Daniel said, "looking patients in the eye, giving them bad news mixed in with whatever tiny little pieces of hope I could dig up. I always… I always hurt for them, always looked to see if there was just one more thing I could do to help. But I never, Nicole, I never expected to be on the other side, and from here… those little bits of hope… they just seem like nothing." His voice cracked and he blinked back tears. "I shouldn't even be here right now. I should… I should be in that room with my son and his mother… but I couldn't… I needed… I needed time and…"

"And you needed me." Nicole fixed Daniel's collar for him. "That offer of a shoulder to cry on, it still stands. Cause honestly…" it was her turn to fight the tears welling up in her eyes. "...with what's going on with Parker I need one too." She took a deep breath. "But, it's not about me right now. For once, I get to be the pillar of strength that holds you up instead of the other way around." She put her arms around him and hugged him, but he pulled away.

"Chloe was beside herself," Daniel said, "and I...I did nothing."

"What'd you think you could do? Even you can't make Parker better overnight or erase Chloe's pain over it… or your own."

"I should have… I gotta go be with her, make sure she's okay."

"I'll come with you."

Daniel sighed. "I don't know whether that's a good idea. Chloe, she's pretty private and..."

"Hey. That speech I just gave you wasn't just words. I meant it. Besides, this is a family emergency, and as far as I'm concerned, you're family." Nicole tried to smile. "So what do you say, Jonas? Will you lean on me this one time?"

Daniel nodded. "Yeah," he said, his voice hoarse. "I will."

When JJ slid into his seat across from Bev, she glared at him.

"Sorry I'm late," JJ said. "I got caught up in something."

"It's bad enough Rory flaked on me and sent you in his place, but now I have to set foot in the _library?_" Bev practically spat the word.

"I thought you two were supposed to be studying."

Bev rolled her eyes. "Here's an idea. Skip the attitude and get to the point. Where's Rory?"

"He couldn't make it."

"I know that." Bev crossed her arms. "Wait a second… this is some cute trick by the two of you so that you can hook up with me now that you've dumped that sad sack, isn't it?"

"Bev, no. It's - "

"It's too late, JJ. I'm not going to be your leftovers anymore. I've moved on with someone who treats me right."

"You mean Cole."

Bev's eyes flashed. "Cole is none of your business! Now call Rory and tell him to get his ass over here! This has gone far enough."

"I can't do that, Bev," JJ said quietly. Bev gave him the look of death and he said. "No, really, I can't. Rory's in jail."

"That's not funny, JJ." Bev picked up her phone. "I'm going to call him right now and tell him that this joke has gone too far."

"No, really." JJ sighed. "They cuffed him right in front of me, and I'm just lucky they didn't take me too. They thought he was the psycho who's been attacking people in the dorms cause - "

"Cause he tied up the guy who tried to attack him," Bev finished.

JJ stared at her. "How did you know?"

"I hear things. There's rumors all over campus if you bother to listen."

JJ glared at her. "You'd better hope that's all it is," he said quietly.

"Come on, JJ, I know there's been bad blood between us or whatever, but don't you know anything at all about me?" She bit her lip. "Look, someone set Rory up."

"No kidding." JJ crossed his arms.

"No, listen." Bev's eyes rolled up to the top of her head while she figured out what to say. "I-I was in the woods… and I… I heard…" she blinked hard. "Look, there was a reason Rory was in the woods at the same time as the robber, okay? Someone...else chose him. On purpose I mean."

JJ stared at her. "It was your new boyfriend Cole, wasn't it?" He crossed his arms.

"Please, JJ." Bev blinked hard. "I can't say any more, don't make me…"

"Bev," JJ said quietly, "if he was involved and you knew about it…"

"I didn't." Bev's eyes were wide with fear. "Look, JJ, there are things you don't understand about me and Cole, okay? You've been out of the loop since you took up with that loser Paige, and… and now you think you have the right to judge me?" She got up. "It's over, JJ. If you think I would ever do anything to hurt Rory on purpose, then the guy I once was in love with… he's long gone." She pushed away from the table. "Don't you dare contact me again," she said, "or you'll be sorry." She ran off.

Rafe was already in the interrogation room when a uniform brought Rory in. Rory stared at Rafe and said, "What's the big idea, man? I thought we'd been through this, and you got that I didn't rob anybody."

"Oh, I believe you," Rafe said, gesturing towards the empty seat. The uniform sat Rory down. "But you still have that marijuana possession charge hanging over your head. So I thought, maybe if we go over it again, you can remember something that helps us catch this loser, and then I can do something to try to make that charge go away." He glanced up at the uniform. "Uncuff him please, and give us some privacy."

The uniform did as he was told. Rory rubbed his wrists as Rafe leaned forward. "Now, let's start from the beginning. You were in the woods, you had your back to him. Did you hear anything?"

"Just the sound of this girl locking lips with a loser. Too bad he's not the one who attacked me. I'd love to put him away for good."

"This loser have a name?" Rafe asked. "Or the girl?"

"Yeah, but they can't back up my story. All they're into is each other."

Rafe sighed. "Look, if we're not gonna get anywhere, I'm gonna have to put those cuffs back on you and have you escorted to your cell right now. Now I want you to think carefully about anything you can tell me that might actually be useful."

Rory bit his lip. "I'm trying, man, but how do I know what's useful and what's not? Look, if I give out Cole's name, he's just gonna make my life miserable. Can't you pin something on him anyway?"

Rafe wrote something down. "You notice anything during the attack itself? Any unusual smells, the sound of his voice, anything like that?"

"Um…"

"It doesn't have to be anything big. Just anything that comes to mind."

Rory's eyes widened. "He… dude, he was wearing brand new gloves! I… he grabbed me, right, and… I thought, he smells like a new car. And another thing, man. His arms gotta be all bruised up cause I… I had the moves, dude, and I used them to get him off me."

Rafe took his time with his notes in case Rory remembered anything else."You tied him up after you got free of him?" he asked.

Rory nodded. "You gonna write me up for that too?" Rafe shook his head and Rory said, "Okay, then. He had a roll of duct tape. When I got the upper hand, I grabbed it, and I just wrapped it around his arms and legs. I figured it'd keep him there a good long while, yunno, so he could think about what he did." Rory laughed bitterly. "I guess I was a little too buzzed, man, cause from the sound of it he got free pretty quick."

"Sounds like you did what you had to do to protect yourself," Rafe said. "Listen, one last thing. When you were taping him up, did you happen to get a look at him?"

"Not a real good one," Rory said. "It was real dark in those woods. I guess that's why he struck there. Anyway, all I got is dark hair and his eyes… dude, those eyes were freaky. I don't mean, like, when you're coked out and your eyes get real big. They were, like, all gray and… I dunno, just something about the way he looked at me gave me the creeps, dude." Rory shuddered, but recovered, grinning broadly. "That good enough to get me out of here?"

"Hopefully. I'll put in a call to the DA right now and see what she wants to do."

Jill was gone by the time Eve and Daphne came out, holding a box each. "You girls all done?" Eve asked brightly, but Paige could tell she was rattled. Her mother's smile was too wide and she had a weird look in her eyes.

"For now," Daphne said. "Paige still has to decide what she can let go of." She turned towards Paige. "Come on, let's put these in the car."

"I'll be there in a minute. I just want to say good night to my mom." Daphne hesitated but Paige said, "I'm coming. I promise."

As soon as Daphne left, Eve said, "What's left in your room? Maybe I could go through it while - "

"It's fine, Mom."

"Well, all right, baby, but I thought since you're so eager to move to the dorms…"

"Stop it." Paige crossed her arms. "Mom, what was that girl doing here?"

"What girl?"

"Don't do that. I saw her. And I know who she is, so don't play dumb either."

"Now, is that any way to talk to your mother, Paige? I admit, I'm not exactly happy that you've decided to move into the center of a crime wave, but I am trying my hardest to make the best out of it. I know that you were upset that you saw that ad, and believe me, I feel terrible that I didn't get a chance to talk to you about it first, but sweetheart, that's no reason to be rude, now is it?"

Paige took a deep breath. "You're right. I'm sorry. But Mom, I know who that girl is. I know you don't like hearing it, but she's a big part of what went wrong between me and JJ. So I hope she's not going to be your new roommate or whatever, because I plan to come back to see you all the time, and I can't do that if she's here."

Eve looked scared for a fraction of a second, but she hid it well, saying only, "Of course she's not. Look, I don't know who that girl is, but I don't like her. Besides, you saw her condition. Do you think I want some girl here who's about to pop out a baby? There's hardly enough room in your bedroom for one person, sweetheart, so there's no way we can fit a crib and a carriage in there. Besides, I'm too old to be changing diapers, and you know a girl like that isn't going to do a thing for her baby herself."

"So Jill's not moving in?"

"Is that her name? I didn't even catch it."

Paige put her hands on her hips.

"No, baby, you don't have to worry. You will never see her when you come over."

Paige's phone buzzed. "That's Daphne," she said, "getting impatient. You'd better hope you got rid of that Jill, Mom, because if I see her when I come to visit you… well, I don't know what I'll do. Now good night."

"Wait," Eve said as Paige picked up her box. "You're not… you're not staying here until your things are all moved?"

"I took all my bedroom and bathroom stuff," Paige said. "But I'll be back tomorrow, Mom, while Daphne's in class. I promise."

"Well, don't I at least rate a hug before you disappear out the door?"

Paige sighed. She put her box down again and said, "Of course, Mom." She hugged her tight, but as they pulled away, she said, "Don't think I've forgotten about Jill, though. I mean it, Mom. If she takes over my room, it's like a slap in the face."

"I understand, honey. Don't worry. The last thing I want is to hurt you."

There was a knock on the door and Daphne said, "Paige, we gotta go! Come on!"

Paige picked up her box and went out the door without another word. Eve watched her get in the elevator with Daphne. Daphne said something that made Paige laugh, then the elevator door closed. Eve closed her own door and sunk into the couch. "You had better not ruin everything for me, Jill!" she said aloud. She flipped through her phone, thinking hard. "I have to find some way to neutralize you."

Chloe stood over Parker's bed, watching him sleep, putting her hand to her mouth to fight the tears she was tired of crying.

"Why don't I give you some space?" Jennifer said softly. "I'm sure Daniel will be back soon, and I can't imagine anything better for Parker to see when he wakes up again than his mom."

"Thanks," Chloe said.

Chloe ran her hands through Parker's hair as Jen left. He opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Mommy!" he said. "You came!"

"Of course I did, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

Parker sat up. "No more dizzy," he said, grinning broadly. Chloe forced herself to smile back.

"Get up?" Parker asked.

Chloe didn't have the energy to tell him to talk like a big boy the way she usually did when he tried those baby sentences with her. "Um," she said, "We'll ask Daddy if it's a good idea when he comes back, okay?" Parker pouted and she said, "How about… I sing you a song instead?"

"Okay."

Chloe closed her eyes as she began to sing to him from some Broadway play. Daniel and Nicole came into the doorway behind her, but Daniel put his fingers on his lips and waited until Chloe had finished before coming into the room.

"Daddy!" Parker said.

Chloe turned to greet him. She frowned when she saw Nicole. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," she said. "What were the two of you doing that was so much more important than dealing with our son's health?"

"Thanks for meeting me," Hope said. They were sitting in Marlena's office talking during one of Marlena's breaks. "I know you have a full case load, but I didn't know where else to turn, and I thought you might be able to help."

"Of course. What can I do for you, Hope?"

"We really aren't getting anywhere with this case. The victims are too traumatized to remember many details, and anyway the guy attacks from behind."

"I see. Were you hoping I could give you a psychological profile of the robber?"

"That might help, but actually, I was wondering if you thought that hypnotizing the victims would be able to yield details that they can't consciously remember. Anything they saw or heard might give us a lead we can work with to shut the perp down before he hurts anyone else."

"Well," Marlena said, "hypnosis can certainly elicit those types of details. I would be concerned, though, about whether the victims are strong enough to handle it. Even though I would take care to make sure they don't remember anything consciously after the session, the process itself could be unnecessarily traumatizing. You see, hypnosis requires a certain surrender of control. The patient has to trust me absolutely in order to accept being put into a hypnotic trance in the first place. For victims of violent crime, that can be an upsetting proposition. The crime itself triggers feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness, so they may want to hold onto whatever bit of control they have."

"So that's a no go then."

"Not necessarily. Some victims may be in a place where they can handle it. If not, there's another technique we can use, called cognitive re-enactment. Basically, what we would do is have the victims re-enact the scene, with one of your officers playing the role of the attacker. The idea is that by re-living the traumatic scene in a safer context, the victim may remember something that he or she blocked out of conscious awareness. It might even be helpful to their healing as well, as they are totally in control of the activity." Hope nodded and Marlena said, "Talk to each of your victims and see if you can get them to consent to a short interview with me. I'll decide which option is healthier for them and we'll take it from there."

"Thanks Marlena."

"Oh and Hope?" Marlena said as Hope got up. "I have absolutely no doubt that you will find this criminal. But I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't remind you not to lose perspective. This is only one part of your life. Make sure you're keeping it in balance, both for your own sake and for that of your child."

Hope looked puzzled, but she nodded.

Bev could hear the shower going as she approached Cole's apartment. Good, she thought. Maybe I won't have to actually deal with him. She was wearing tight jeans and a shirt that showed more than she really liked showing, just in case.

She tried the front door-Cole was stupid enough to forget to lock it half the time-but today it was locked. She took one of the clips out of her hair and used it to unlock the door. It wasn't easy to do; she made a mental note to get Cole to give her a key.

Bev opened the door as quietly as she could and tiptoed inside, closing it behind her. Cole's apartment was a huge mess; there were papers everywhere and of course he hadn't bothered to throw away the paper plate from last night's pizza. Bev wrinkled up her nose in disgust but she kept looking around until she found his phone.

The shower was still going as she picked it up and went into the call and text logs. She saw a call to the 800 number they'd given everybody after the robberies first started. _Tip line, _she thought. _That's weird. _There were also a bunch of calls to a number she didn't recognize. She put the number into her own phone so she could check it out on Ewe Search later.

Bev was concentrating on that, so she didn't hear the shower turn off. Cole came out into the living room, his towel wrapped around his torso, and wearing nothing underneath but his boxers. "What the hell are you doing in my stuff?" he demanded.

It was already starting to get dark as JJ cut through the park on his way home. He thought he heard leaves rustling behind him, but he ignored it. _I'm not on campus now, _he thought, _so the robber's nowhere near me. I just gotta quit being paranoid._

The rustling got louder and closer. JJ started walking more quickly. He looked over his shoulder and thought he saw a tall guy a little bit behind him. He walked faster, but so did the guy behind him, or was it his imagination?

No matter how fast JJ walked, he couldn't shake the guy. He turned suddenly, heading out of the park, towards Horton Town Square. As he started to go through the gates, the guy caught up to him, putting his hand on JJ's shoulder.

JJ reacted instinctively. "Look, dude," he said quickly, putting his hands up, "take anything you want, but can you please just leave my guitar alone?"

"Dude, relax," Kurt said. "It's just me, Kurt. Who'd you think it was?"

Nicole's eyes narrowed. "Is there something in the Salem water that the minute anyone steps foot in town, they have to find something to blame me for? Seriously, Chloe, your child is sick and all you can do is take shots at me?"

"Look, Nicole, I'm sorry you can't have children, but adopt one of your own! Don't go confusing Parker by pretending to be with his dad when we all know that the first chance you get, you'll find a way to make it blow up in your face."

"Jealous much? News flash! You don't own Daniel just because you had a child with him. Or was it with Phillip Kiriakis? No, I was right the first time, but just for fun, why don't we check Lucas Horton's DNA?"

"Both of you shut it!" Daniel said. "My son… _our _son, Chloe… he may not be at his best right now, but he is not… he is not deaf and he is not blind, and seeing two of the people who care most about him in the world at each other's throats, that is only going to upset him."

"Daniel's right," Kayla said from behind them. "This isn't the time or place for petty disagreements."

"I'm sorry," Nicole said quietly. "I shouldn't have lost my temper and said… well, most of what I said. Even if it is all true."

"Nicole…," Daniel said.

"Don't engage her," Kayla said. She turned towards Nicole. "Right now Daniel and Chloe are facing a family crisis. Out of respect for that, I think you should give them some space."

"Right," Nicole said. "When I lived with Daniel last year, I put Parker down for naps and played with him and got him from preschool when Daniel couldn't. I was the one watching him when this all started and I was the one who got him to the ICU. But I'm not good enough to stay in the room when he's just been diagnosed with a life-threatening condition? Yes, I want to support Daniel, but has it ever occurred to you that even though I don't have any blood tying me to Parker, that I don't want to lose him either?"

"Nobody doubts that you care about Parker, Nicole," Kayla said firmly, "but you aren't acting in his best interest right now. If you want to help, go. You can come back later when his parents have had a chance to absorb the news about his condition."

Nicole looked at Daniel but he said, "Why don't you go do that other thing we talked about? I'll catch up with you later."

"Can I at least give Parker a hug?" Nicole asked. Daniel nodded and she went over to Parker, hating that she had to ask permission. She tried to put her pain aside as she sat down on the edge of the bed next to him. "Hey little guy," she said, blinking back tears. "How you doing?"

"I wanna go home," Parker said, sniffling.

Nicole put her arm around him. "Trust me, we all want that. But you know what? You're getting better and better, so you keep doing that and one day soon you'll be in your own bed again begging for another story before bed. And I will give in and read you one." She hugged him tight. "I have to go, sweetheart," she said, her voice breaking.

"Noooo," Parker whined.

"I don't want to, believe me I don't." Nicole held back her tears so she wouldn't upset Parker further. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" She kissed the top of Parker's head.

"One more hug," Parker begged. Nicole gave it to him without a second thought.

"Sorry I scared you, dude," Kurt said as JJ pulled away.

JJ scowled and hurried towards Horton Town Square. Kurt followed. "Look, I'm worried about my brother, and neither one of you is taking my calls, so I had to take drastic action." He glanced at the empty tables near where they were standing. "Can we sit down and talk a minute?"

JJ crossed his arms. "Depends. Are you sober?"

"What?"

"Look, dude, I'm not one to judge. You know that. But Rory told me what went down the other night, and it wasn't cool, man. He was counting on you, and you were so wasted you let him down."

"Whoa, slow down little dude. I dunno what you're talking about."

"I know you don't." JJ's anger was rising. "It's easy for you, cause you wake up the next morning and it's like nothing ever happened. But Rory, he remembers." JJ turned his back on Kurt. "He remembers how he couldn't go home cause the you were so messed up on booze you tried to attack him."

Kurt pinched the top of his nose. "Wait… hold up a second…you're saying… Rory did swing by?" He sighed. "No wonder he's not talking to me, man. I kinda overdid it that night."

"Come on, man, you know it's not the first time. Rory, he told me that's pretty much what happens every night."

"That is so not true, JJ. You gotta believe me, dude. Come on, could I hold down a job if I was drunk out of my mind all the time?"

"I dunno. That job doesn't seem like it takes a lot of brains."

"You're mad too. I get it. But just listen for a second." Kurt's eyes were wide and JJ almost felt sorry for him. "I… I used to have a drinking problem," Kurt said. "Rory was just a little kid, he probably doesn't remember, but I was 12, 13 years old when I took my first drink. Anyway, a couple years back, our mom had enough and she told me it was either the booze or a roof over my head, and out I went. These last few years, though, I got it together, and when Mom went the same route with Rory, I told him, man, I told him, if you stay here it'll be a good time and I promise I won't get drunk, maybe do a little weed, maybe drink a little, but getting bombed's a thing of the past." He laughed to cover his embarrassment. "Guess I screwed up, huh?"

JJ didn't say anything for a second. He was trying to figure out what he felt. He was angry still but at the same time, he could see Kurt was just a messed up person like Rory was, like JJ himself had been.

"Look," Kurt said, "I get Rory wants a little space, but he's still my brother. Have him… have him call me, will you dude?" JJ nodded, and Kurt got up. "I guess I'll let you go, man," he said. "Thanks for looking out for Rory and, you know… for the chat and all." He took off before JJ could say another word.

JJ slumped down in his seat. "Hope I did the right thing, man," he mumbled.

Cole took a step towards Bev, his hands curled into fists. "Don't even bother making up a lie," he said. "Forget what you're doing in my stuff, what the hell are you doing in my house?"

Bev batted her eyelashes and said, "You mean you didn't leave the door open for me?"

"Don't be cute." Cole was standing very close to Bev now. "If that's what you wanted, you should have just got in the bed. Now that would have been hot. But no, you came here and rifled through my stuff. Now you know I don't like anyone touching my stuff, don't you?" He pushed her, but she kept her balance. "Answer me, bitch."

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just wanted to charge my phone." Bev had the scared, innocent girl routine down pat. It had saved her ass with the cops more than once; hopefully it would work the same on Cole.

"I don't believe you." Cole pushed Bev again. She backed away from him but he kept advancing. "You're a liar, Bev, and nothing but trouble."

"Takes one to know one," Bev said in a half flirtatious, half scared tone. She tried to back up more, but tripped over the bed post. Cole pushed her again, forcing her onto the bed.

"Yeah," Cole said, holding her down and getting on top of her. "It does." He ran his free hand through her hair and put his lips on her, kissing her lightly. Bev squeezed her eyes shut as his hand traveled down to her jeans. _Just let this be over quickly, _she thought.

Suddenly, Cole stopped. "Like I'd ever do it with a skank like you," he said, and spit in her face. "Get the hell out, and if you want some ever again, you'd better remember how to not piss me off."

Marissa was also lying in bed. After the phone call with her mom, she was more exhausted than ever. She'd wrapped herself in the blanket like she was a caterpillar in the cocoon. It had always made her feel safe and protected to do that.

She couldn't sleep, though. Her conversation with her mother kept swirling around and around her head, getting mixed up with her memories of seeing Rory get arrested and conversations with Detective Brady and the attack itself.

Her phone rang. Marissa glanced at it and saw it was Detective Brady calling. She hit the ignore button, then got out of bed and threw her purse over her shoulder. _If I want peace, there's something I have to do, _she thought.

Daphne had wanted to take Paige to the student center to chill out, but Paige wanted to go to Club TBD instead. Now they were sitting at one of the tables, drinking coffee to get ready for their big move.

"I still don't get it," Paige said. "Mom acted like she'd never heard of Jill, but when it happened she wanted to see the photos, so she should have remembered who she was. But why would my mom have any connection with someone like that?"

"Why is this such a big deal?" Daphne asked. "I mean, yeah it's weird, but so what? It's not like you're going to have to live with her or even see her again. All sorts of people come to try to rent rooms. Trust me, it was a coincidence."

"No," Paige said. "You don't know my mom. When it comes to her, there are no coincidences."

"Even if she does know Jill, what does it have to do with you? Unless…" Daphne stirred her coffee. "Are you thinking about giving JJ another chance?"

T, who was coming over to their table, turned around and walked away. Paige couldn't see the expression on his face as she looked up, but he called, "Ben! Can you get this table for me? It's past time for my break and if I end up doing overtime, Sonny will kill me." Paige sighed and excused herself so she could go talk to him.

Cole knocked three times in succession at Jeff's door so Jeff would know it was him. Jeff let him in, silently, and closed the door.

"Glad you called, dude," Cole said. "Got me out of a tiff with my loser girlfriend." Jeff's face was stone cold, with no hint of a smile. Cole sat down on the edge of the bed. "What's up?"

"What's up is this," Jeff said quietly. "Thanks to you and your stupid idea to set up that stoner, I'm going to have to suspend the business. I can't do much now because even the cops can figure out that Rory's not guilty if I keep breaking into dorms while he's in jail."

"It's not my fault he fought back," Cole said. "How was I supposed to know he had it in him?"

"I was better off alone," Jeff said. "Now I have to get the cops' attention off me before I can do anything else. And when I get back in business, I'm gonna go solo for a bit. "

Cole's eyes flashed. "You can't do that man. When I gave you Rory you promised me a cut, remember?"

"And it failed, remember? A cut of zero is zero."

"Going solo would be pretty stupid," Cole said. "When I stumbled onto your plans, I could have gone to the cops, but you offered me a sweeter deal."

"That was before your prints got all over my knife. See, I'm smart enough to wear gloves when I'm working. Apparently, you're not. Besides, the cops would never listen to you."

Cole scowled.

"So we're agreed," Jeff said. "You're gonna lay low and stay out of my way. If I need you, I'll call you."

Cole nodded. _For now, _he thought. _But just for now._

Kayla turned towards Chloe and Daniel. "I don't think I need to tell either of you that making a scene like that isn't good for Parker's recovery. If anyone bothers you, just page me or Maxine and we'll take care of it."

"I'm as much to blame as Nicole was," Chloe admitted. She sighed. "I'm not really mad at her. It's just… I can't do anything about Parker's condition, and I just found out about it, and instead of being here with us, Daniel was with her, and…"

"And you lashed out at her because you can't yell at Parker's disease," Kayla said. "Look, what I said to Nicole wasn't just a nice way of telling her to get out of here. It's really true that both of you are dealing with a ton of emotions now. I can't even imagine what you're going through."

"You're lucky," Chloe told her.

"I am," Kayla agreed. "If it was Joey, I don't know what I'd feel or what I'd do." She hugged her clipboard to herself. "Look, emotions are going to run very high. I meant to tell you both this earlier, but you didn't stick around so I thought it could wait. We do have a counselor on staff who specializes in helping families deal with this type of news. Maybe it would help both of you to talk through your feelings with her."

Daniel crossed his arms. "No."

"I know you're probably not comfortable talking with a counselor, but trust me, Daniel, it doesn't mean you're weak or crazy."

"I don't have a problem with shrinks," Daniel said. "Sometimes they can be a godsend and I have referred a ton of patients who actually needed mental health services to Marlena. But me, I don't need to talk to somebody, and even if I did, this, uh, this Dr. Harper, she is the last person I want inside my head."

"So you've met her." Kayla gave Daniel a sympathetic half-smile. "She may not be very impressive on first meeting, but trust me, she knows exactly what she's doing. So if either of you are interested - "

"You can forget about it, at least as far as I go. Not with her, not with anybody."

"Chloe?"

Chloe shook her head slightly. "All I need is to spend as much time with Parker as I can."

Paige hurried up to the front counter, just in time to see T sliding out the back door. She followed him.

"Um, Tad?" Paige said.

T turned around. "It's T, not Tad, and following people into alleyways doesn't strike me as a good idea."

Paige crossed her arms. "I came out here because I thought maybe you were upset, but now I don't know why I bothered."

"Neither do I."

Paige turned, intending to walk away, but T said, "But I don't think it's you."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, I've seen a lot of pretty girls come into the club, and I've even tried to go on dates with a couple of them, but it just never works out. There's always someone waiting in the wings who's better than me, at least in their eyes."

Paige sighed. "You might not believe this, especially since I've been pretty mean to you, but lots of girls think you're cute. Daphne, the friend I'm with, she really likes you."

"And you?" T sighed. "You don't have to answer. Look, JJ's a standup guy. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but if you're ready to give him another chance, don't let a second-class chump like me get in the way."

Paige shook her head. "JJ and me… we're like two ships that passed in the night. We should have been meant for each other, but we just… weren't." She pushed her hair behind her her ears. "Look, the reason I've brushed you off isn't because I don't like you. It just really hurt when I lost JJ and I don't want to go through it again. My mom, she's always saying, all guys will hurt you, just stay home."

"Your mom doesn't know what life's about if she thinks that."

Paige scowled. T said, "There I go putting my foot in my mouth again. I just mean, I get not being ready, but don't decide never to be ready again, you know?"

The back door opened just then and Ben stuck his head out. "Hey T, the afternoon rush is starting early. Sonny wants you on the register."

"I gotta get back to work," T said, "but, I dunno, maybe we can continue this conversation later?"

Paige nodded.

Marissa sat across from the housing person, trying to smile. The woman's face was all business, and she seemed robotic to Marissa, but there was no one else who could handle this.

"And why do you need to move?" the woman asked.

Marissa's eyes narrowed. "Why do you think?"

The woman looked her up and down. "I'm trying to help you; don't get snippy with me."

"Look," Marissa said, "I don't feel safe, okay? I know the guy who attacked me is long gone, but every time I walk into my room, it's like he's there. I can't keep checking my locks and lying in my bed thinking about the attack. If anyone ever needed another room, it's me."

"Let me see what I can do," the housing woman said. She typed something into her computer. "Unfortunately, there are no more single rooms available. Now if you're willing to take a roommate, there's a room open. Wait, no, it looks like another girl has already taken that spot." The woman sighed. "It doesn't look like there's anything available right now, Miss. I'm sorry."

"You don't understand," Marissa said. "I can't stay in that room."

"If you find an apartment somewhere, we will refund your housing deposit, given the circumstances. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll just have to live with this room for the rest of the year."

"I. can't. stay. in. a. room. where. I. don't. feel. safe!" Marissa said, emphasizing each word to try to get through to the woman.

"There's nothing more I can do for you. If you can't deal with it, see a counselor to help you get over this." The housing woman turned back to her computer, making it clear the conversation was over.

Paige went all the way around to the front of Club TBD before going back in to sit with Daphne. "There you are," Daphne said. "I thought maybe you had a change of heart and went back to your mom's."

"Of course not." Paige was annoyed. "I just didn't want that bartender to think I was following him back inside."

"So you do like him." Daphne smiled, showing off two rows of perfect teeth. "Oh Paige, this is going to be so great. A total new beginning for you. New home, maybe a new boyfriend…"

"It's not that serious," Paige objected.

"We have to drink a toast."

"Aren't you too young to drink?"

Daphne gave Paige a look. "With soda, Paige. Relax." She called Ben over and ordered two ginger ales, asking for them to be put in champagne flutes.

The sodas came. Daphne picked hers up right away. Paige followed suit, looking off into the distance as Daphne said, "To starting again and living your life the way you want to!"

Jeff came into the club just then. He stood in the doorway, looking around. His eyes locked with Paige's as she and Daphne clinked glasses.

After leaving the hospital, Nicole went for a walk to clear her head. As she headed towards the park, she saw JJ on one of the benches, holding his guitar but not playing.

"JJ," she called, trying to smile. "Just the man I wanted to see."

"Um...okay." JJ plucked one of the strings, then turned a tuning peg. "I'm actually kinda glad I ran into you too. I didn't want to bother Daniel, but um, I wanted to know how his kid was doing." He looked at Nicole's tear-stained face and said, "I'm guessing the news isn't good?"

"Not especially, but I'll leave that for him to tell." Nicole watched JJ continue to tune his guitar while she debated whether it was the right time to bring up her proposition. "Listen, JJ," she said at last, "I don't know if Daniel told you...actually he probably didn't, what am I thinking?...anyway, I'm supposed to be looking for a college kid to take up some space in the office, and if you're interested, the job's yours."

JJ gave her a puzzled look. "What would you want me for? I'm not, like, a news major or anything."

"Believe me, you won't be doing anything that's out of your league. Seriously, JJ, don't sell yourself short. Back when your mom and I were on speaking terms, she told me how you saw through Liam way before anyone else did. I need someone with those kinds of instincts. Besides, I heard a rumor your dad was one of the best reporters this sleepy little town has ever had-that's got to be in your blood."

"I guess." JJ glanced down at his guitar. "My dad, he passed a lot of things down to me, but being able to write and stuff, that one he gave to Abigail, not me."

Nicole was silent for a few seconds, thinking. "Tell you what," she said. "How about I give you something to do, and if you get it done, the job's yours?" She flipped through the pictures on her phone til she found the one of Jeff she'd uploaded the night before. "I need to find this guy. You get him to me, you're hired."

JJ glanced at the photo. "Jeff?" he said, surprised.

"You know him?"

"He's in a couple classes, that's all. All he ever talks about is how he's gonna do a story that, like, blows you away so much that you hire him."

"I hate to burst his bubble, but... no, actually I don't. He tried to scoop me on my own story, so his chances have gone from zero to about negative 150 million."

"So what do you want with him?"

"Do you really need to know?" JJ gave Nicole a look and she said, "It's nothing nefarious, JJ, I promise. Stop looking at me like I'm going to stuff him into an empty refrigerator or something. I just want to let him know that I'm onto him and that his plan isn't working. So what do you say? Will you do it?"

JJ put his hand to his chin, thinking. "I want something from you too."

"I'm giving you a job, the ability to train your investigative skills under one of Salem's top underused reporters, some experiences you can use to enrich your music. What else do you want?"

"I need to know what's really going on with these robberies."

Abigail was sitting on the couch, eating pasta, when Jen came through the door. Jennifer smiled at her daughter, or tried to. "I'm glad you're here, honey."

"What's wrong?" Abigail got up, putting down her bowl. "Want some pasta? I made a batch of tomato sauce to go with it."

"Thanks, Abigail, but I ate something on the way home from the office." Jen sank down into the couch. "I do need to tell you something...and your brother too. He's not home, is he?"

Abigail shook her head. She watched her mother rubbing the bridge of her nose and said, "What'd JJ do now?"

"What?" Jen's mouth dropped open. "Oh, Abigail, no. Your brother's just fine. I just… could you do me a favor and text him to come home right away?"

"Okay…" Abigail took out her phone. "But why can't you do it?"

"I can. He's just more likely to listen to you."

Abigail put the phone down and sat down next to her mother. "Okay, Mom. Spill it. What's really going on with JJ?"

Jen stared into space. "I don't want to say anything until I hear your brother's side of the story," she said, twisting her ring, "but between you and me, I think JJ is starting to make some bad choices again."

"Oh no, Mom. You mean, drugs, and… and acting out, and…"

"No, Abigail, nothing like that. At least not today. Your Aunt Maggie says we have to concentrate on what's going on now, not what he might do later, and I am really really trying, but honey, Hope gave me some disturbing news today."

"What news?"

Jen shook her head. "I have made so many mistakes with him, Abigail. I think talking about what he's done behind his back without even giving him a chance to explain himself is probably another one. When he gets home, I'm going to need you to give me a few minutes alone with him." She took her daughter's hand. "But just know that if it's what I think is happening, we're all going to have to be stronger than we were last time. We're not going to let your brother start self-destructing again."

Abigail's eyes were wide as she nodded and squeezed her mother's hand back.

"Take a number," Nicole snapped. "Everyone wants to know, and the cops aren't saying anything. Even I can't get anything out of them."

"Guess you don't need me that bad, then," JJ said. "I'll just try to find out on my own. Have fun looking for Jeff."

"Wait, JJ, come on. Isn't there anything else you want to investigate, besides Salem's number one sensationalized crime spree?"

JJ shook his head. "My friend's life depends on it. Nicole, someone set him up. He got robbed the other night but whoever did it, they made it look like he's the bad guy. You help me, we can be the first ones to break this."

Nicole thought for a minute. "You drive a hard bargain, JJ Deveraux," she said. "Okay, but only cause I've grown to like you and don't want you getting killed trying to unmask a violent criminal on your own." She took out her phone. "Give me your number and we'll get this rolling."

Marissa didn't want to go back to her dorm room, or even stay on campus, after talking to the housing woman. She went to Horton Town Square and wandered around aimlessly, thinking about what the woman had said. She stood in the same spot where JJ had stood the other day, looking at the bookstore window. The article she'd seen online flashed into her head and she tried to imagine him smashing the bookstore window. In her mind's eye, though, she came up just as the cops were taking JJ away, and tears started rolling down her face as she chased after him…

She snapped back to reality. _I have to stop having these weird daydreams, _she thought. She went to the coffee shop and sat down, slowly, not really sure of where she was or what she was doing. She picked up her phone and dialed a number. "Dr. Evans? This is… this is Marissa Hunter. You know, the… the girl you saw in the hospital who was attacked?" She swallowed hard. "I… I think I might need to make an appointment."

Jennifer and Abigail were both sitting on the couch, eating, when JJ came in. "I got your message," he said to Abigail. "What's up?" He looked at his mother. "Oh God," he said. "Did… did something happen with Parker? I… I've been meaning to call Daniel, but I…"

"That's sweet of you to worry, honey," Jen said. "Daniel got some bad news about Parker, but he's fine… well, stable, anyway, and guess what? Parker's mom came to town to help take care of him until he makes a full recovery."

"Chloe's back?" JJ asked. "You sure you're okay with that, Mom? I mean, I know what she did to you and Daniel before."

"Oh, we decided to bury the hatchet. Parker's more important than all that old stuff."

"Mom," Abigail interrupted. "What's going on with Parker?"

"I think Daniel should tell you himself, if he wants to." Jen blinked hard. "I know it's hard for all of us-" she gave JJ a pointed look-"but we have to adjust to the fact that I'm not his other half anymore."

"Do you think I should call him?" Abigail asked.

"If you want." Jen was too nonchalant, making JJ even more suspicious that something was going on with her that she wasn't saying. "First, do me a favor and get your brother some of that delicious pasta you made. I want to talk to him for a minute."

Abigail left the room. JJ, crossing his arms, turned towards his mother. "Okay, mom," he said. "What's really going on?"

"Come sit down, honey," Jen said. Her voice was even, but her eyes were hard and her lips thinned, and JJ knew he was in trouble for some reason. "I think we should talk," Jennifer said, "about how you almost got arrested today."

Nicole let herself into Daniel's apartment, since she'd promised to house sit after all, though there wasn't much for her to do there. No one had been there since Parker had gotten sick, and Daniel's apartment was as neat and tidy as ever. It all looked too normal.

When she sat down on the couch, she was suddenly overwhelmed with memories. She remembered the time she and Daniel had kissed by accident but decided to forget about it, the time Daniel had comforted her after Eric had accused her of rape, the discussions they'd had about JJ when he was newly sober and Nicole didn't trust him yet. She remembered the day she decided to move out and Daniel had kissed her cheek and asked her not to be a stranger. She remembered playing games with Daniel and Parker. Tears rolled silently down her cheeks as she kept thinking about everything she could have had if she'd pursued Daniel instead of Eric.

Her phone rang. Nicole breathed deeply as she answered it. "Hello?" she said, trying to sound normal. "Miles! I was about to call you. I found a - No, Miles, I didn't have any luck tracking Jeff Adkins down yet. What? No, we shouldn't reconsider him. In fact, I hired someone else. You know what? I know it's a shock to you, but I have other things going on, so you're just going to have to wait til the morning." She hung up.

There was a knock on the door just then. _I am not answering that until I get a glass of wine, _Nicole thought. Whoever was there knocked on the door again while she was pouring it.

She opened the door, wine glass in hand… and found Eric standing on the other side.


	6. Chapter 6

"Nothing happened, Mom," JJ said, crossing his arms. "I swear."

"It didn't sound like nothing from what Hope said."

"Hope wasn't there. She didn't see the way the cops looked at me… it was like, the second they saw me, they saw that guy I used to be, that screwed up kid who did nothing but cause trouble."

"Well, honey, you know, if you hang out with people like Rory, the police are going to be suspicious of you."

"Rory wasn't doing anything either, Mom. It was a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? JJ, if the police thought Rory was involved in the robberies, they had to have had a reason. That didn't just come out of nowhere."

"Cause someone set him up! But you know what? It doesn't matter, cause people like you, they're always gonna think people like Rory and me are up to no good no matter what we do." JJ's eyes flashed. "I get you don't trust Rory, Mom, but I swore off all the crap I did a long time ago… aren't you ever gonna get past it?"

"It's not about that! Yes, I trust you, of course I do, but you don't see what you're doing. I've had life experiences you just haven't had yet, sweetheart, and so I know, without a doubt, that if you keep hanging around people like Rory who are doing these destructive things, you're going to become like them again. It's already started, JJ, and you just don't see it." Jen shook her head. "You are spiraling out of control, JJ!"

"Mom, quit freaking out. Nothing happened. I'm fine. I'm not doing drugs, I'm not messing with people's stuff. I'm just going to school and hanging out with my friends after. What's so bad about that?"

"I know you aren't going to like this," Jen said, "but I'm going to have to lay down the law, honey. No Rory. Not here, anyway. And now I'm not just asking you to come home by 10. I'm telling you. In fact, maybe you should do your studying at home for a while."

JJ tried hard to control himself. "Mom," he said quietly. "You're flipping out over nothing."

"It's not nothing, JJ! Don't you realize how close we came to having this conversation from the opposite sides of a jail cell? You may be 19 years old, JJ, but you're going to have to live by my rules from now on, and if you can't do that, there will have to be consequences."

JJ crossed his arms. "Like what, Mom? You're gonna, what, kick me out of the house? Call Hope on my ass like you tried to do when Theresa OD'd?"

"Stop it, JJ." Jen was upset and JJ was glad for it. "I'm trying to help you, honey. You just don't see it, but someday you will."

"Yeah?" JJ's eyes blazed. "You mean like the way Eve helped Paige see I wasn't good enough for her?"

"I am nothing like Eve Donovan!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Mom, but when you flip out you are!" All of JJ's anger from everything that happened today seemed to be boiling over; he couldn't stop himself. "You know why you and Eve hate each other? Cause you're alike in all the worst ways and you don't want to admit it. No wonder you and Daniel broke up. He could only take so much, Mom! He would have been with you but you screwed it up trying to control him. And all that makes you just like Eve!"

Jen gasped. As her eyes widened, JJ realized he'd gone too far. He stared down at the ground, wishing he could take back what he'd just said.

Daphne's soda splashed, spilling all over her as she and Paige clinked glasses. "Oh my gosh!" Paige said, turning around. "I'm so sorry. I should have been paying attention. Just that guy over there - "

"He was staring at you. He's not bad looking, but really Paige, I think T is a better choice. Or at least a less creepy one." Daphne got up. "No biggie though. I'll just go grab some napkins and get cleaned up a little." She hurried off in the direction of the bathroom.

Paige didn't see Jeff come up behind her because she was watching Daphne go. "This is probably the lamest pick up line ever," he said, "but haven't I seen you at Salem U?"

Paige turned around. She vaguely remembered the guy. "Music theory, right?" she said. "Though I dropped it, so you probably haven't seen me for a while."

"That's right. It's a real shame. You brightened up that dreary room." Jeff smiled at Paige and she smiled back despite herself.

"I-I had to drop it," Paige explained, suddenly feeling nervous. "I'm pre-med and I got this internship at the hospital, so something had to go."

"I'm an intern too. Journalism, though."

"Yeah? Working on something interesting?"

"You might say that." Jeff glanced at Daphne's soda glass. "Oh, are you here with someone? I don't want to interrupt."

"My friend Daphne. She'll be back soon. I spilled something… clumsy me, right?" Paige giggled. "Anyway, you were saying about your internship?"

"Well, I'm covering these robberies on campus." Jeff leaned in close. "I know things about them that nobody else does."

"I heard they were going to make an arrest," Paige said, ignoring his obvious attempt to flirt with her. "Is that true?"

"I can't really say." Jeff deliberately looked around the room. "But between you and me, there's a guy sitting in jail right now waiting to be charged. His name is, um…" he glanced down at his tablet. "Rory something. He's one of those stoner kids who barely survives academically and lives for those moments in the woods, if you know what I mean." Paige's mouth dropped open and Jeff said, "Wait… you know him? You don't seem the stoner type."

"I-I'm not. I just… knew someone who knew him once."

"Tell you what. Here's my card. Have your friend get in touch with me. I'd love to get an exclusive on this." Jeff glanced over Paige's shoulder as he handed her a card. "Here comes your girl friend. Let me get out of your way so you can enjoy your evening."

Paige played with the card as Jeff disappeared, remembering how her mother had said that JJ or his friends were involved with the robberies. _Oh my God, Mom,_ she thought. _How did you know? _

"_Daniel's not here," Nicole told Eric, starting to close the door._

"_I know. Actually, he told me you would be here, so I thought this would be a good time for us to talk. Can I come in?"_

"_I guess." Nicole's eyes widened. "But I hope you aren't here to rake me over the coals about some newly unforgiveable thing you've convinced yourself that I've done, cause I have tell you, this game of grind Nicole into the ground is getting old, and I'm getting tired of playing it."_

"_Actually," Eric said, "I came to apologize. I have been beside myself with pain and fear, Nicole, and I took it all out on you. I know that it's more than I deserve, but can you ever forgive me?"_

Snapping back to reality, Nicole realized she and Eric were staring at each other, not speaking. "Eric, hi," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "I… I didn't expect to see you here."

"I could say the same about you." Eric looked off into the distance at a point beyond Nicole's shoulder. "I just heard about Daniel's son and I thought he might need some support. Is he here?"

"He's at the hospital." Nicole let irritation creep into her voice. "He's spending every minute he can with Parker."

"Of course." Eric started to walk off, but as Nicole began to close the door, he turned around. "Nicole," he said. "I know this probably doesn't mean much considering the source, but I'm glad Daniel has you right now."

"Me too," Nicole said. "It wasn't that long ago that he was firmly on the Nicole-hating side of the fence." She pushed her hair behind her ear. "Um… Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"I know there's no hope for you and I…" Nicole played with an invisible ring on her finger, right where her engagement ring once was,, "...but do you think we could ever at least be friends again? I mean, Daniel forgave me, so… could you?"

"I'm sorry, Nicole, but right now it seems like Daniel's a better man than me, at least in the forgiveness department. I wish you the best, but beyond that, there's nothing. No feeling, no anything." Eric shifted his weight. "Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go see how he and Parker are doing."

JJ took a deep breath. "Mom, I…," he began, his voice a lot softer. "I'm sorry. I - "

"There are some things, JJ," Jen said quietly, "that apologies after the fact can't fix."

"I… I know. But Mom, I really didn't mean that. I…"

"Not another word, JJ. Not right now." Jen turned her back on JJ and for one horrible moment he thought she was going to tell him he wasn't welcome in the house anymore. Then she said, very softly, "I don't want either of us to say one more thing that we can't take back."

"M-me either."

"I know you have been hurting since you and Paige broke up," Jen went on, "and it tears me up to see you in so much pain. But don't you ever take Eve's interference with the two of you out on me again, do you understand me?" JJ nodded and Jen said, ruefully, "I can't hear you nodding, so I hope that's what you're doing."

"It is." JJ bit his lip. "Mom?" Jen turned towards him, and he could see the hurt and the sadness in her face. It made him feel worse. "Um," JJ said, slowly, "I… I don't want things to go back to the way they were before… you know… before I straightened up."

"I don't either," Jen said, her voice soft.

"I know what this Rory thing looks like, but I swear to you, it's not how it seems."

"I know you don't understand this, honey, but it's not what Rory did or didn't do that worries me. It's you. I know how full of anger you've been since your father died, but if you don't have the sense not to talk to the police the way you just talked to me, they could put you in jail just to teach you a lesson. And when Hope told me how close that came to happening today, JJ, my heart jumped into my throat. So please, honey, let me help you control yourself before it's too late."

"You're way overreacting, Mom, I swear. Nothing's gonna happen. Can you please just trust me?"

"Okay." Jen sounded defeated. "If you say so. But just know this, JJ. If I get another call to pick you up at the police station and have to see you in handcuffs, or worse, on the other side of a jail cell… that will break my heart so badly that I don't know if I can take it."

"Understood." JJ stood looking at his mother for a second. "It won't happen. I promise."

There was a long line of people checking in to the Salem Inn. Jill put her hand on her stomach, pretending she was feeling for her baby kicking, but really she just wanted to get finished and get into her room.

Finally, it was her turn. She gave the desk clerk her most winning smile and said, "I need a room for like, the next week or so."

"Payment up front," the clerk said. "$85 per night, or $400 for the whole week."

Jill pulled the bills out of her blouse that Eve had given her. She counted them. "I only have $60, but if you give me an hour - "

"Sorry, we need the entire payment up front."

Jill pouted. "Can't you like, let me give you a deposit to hold it, and then in an hour come back with the rest?" The desk clerk shook his head and she said, "Come on, don't you have any sympathy for a girl in my condition? God, Joseph and Mary didn't have this much trouble when Jesus was about to be born."

"Actually they did," some person behind her said. "Move it, lady, none of us has all night."

Jill turned towards him. He was an older man, suit and tie… her favorite kind of trick. "You paying?" she said. "I'll make it worth your while."

"Why should I?" the man said. "Why should any of us pay for you? Why should this young man-" he squinted to see the clerk's name badge-"Dustin or whatever his name is-make exceptions to the rules for you? Let me tell you something, honey. The world doesn't owe you anything. So take yourself and your lack of self-respect somewhere else, cause there's no real room for it in Salem."

Jill glared at him, then turned back towards the clerk. "It's not that I don't have the money, it's that I don't have it on me. Can't you hold a room for like, 15 minutes while I go get the rest of the cash?"

"Sorry." The clerk pointed to a sign that said, _PAYMENT IN FULL DUE UP FRONT. NO EXCEPTIONS. _"If you get the cash, come back and try again, and if we're not full we'll do what we can. But you can't stand here holding up my line any longer. Now if I were you, I'd go before these people behind you lose their patience and decide to call the cops."

Jill made a point of moving slowly, but she got out of the way. She picked up her phone and stared at Eve's number. _No, _she thought, _I'd better not push my luck with that bitch._ She pulled her purse over her shoulder and walked out, holding her head as high as she could so that all the idiots staring at her wouldn't think they'd won.

When Maggie came to sit with Parker, Daniel took Chloe to the cafeteria for a quick cup of coffee. "You holding up okay?" he asked her.

Chloe shrugged. "When I was driving down from Chicago, I thought, it'll be better when I get there. I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on with him, not knowing how serious it was. So in a weird way, knowing his heart's failing… it's like a relief. It's an answer. But in another way… it's like trying to wake up from a nightmare and realizing you're just falling deeper into it." Chloe paused to sip her coffee. It was too hot and burned her tongue, but she didn't care. "You're really going to go see a patient tonight, Daniel?"

"Believe me, I don't want to. I don't want to be away from Parker."

"Then don't be."

"This patient needs me too. I know I should prioritize Parker's illness over all these other people's, but I just can't. It… it keeps me going, Chloe, so I can be there for Parker."

"You never did meet a problem you didn't think you could solve," Chloe said. She half-smiled. "Tell you what. After your patient, go home and get some sleep. I'll stay with Parker tonight."

"I'm okay," Daniel told her. "Sleeping on a cot next to Parker, it's not so bad."

"Yeah, but I want to spend some time alone with him too. Please, Daniel, if we were all at home, it'd be my turn to have him. Can you let me have tonight in the hospital with him?"

Daniel sighed. "I see your point," he said.

"You don't like it."

"I missed so much of his life, Chloe, but I figured… I figured I had a chance to make up for lost time. But now? I dunno, odds are he's gonna be fine but every second with him counts for more than it ever did before. It's bad enough I gotta leave him to go see patients and do rounds… leaving him overnight… it's just out of the question, Chloe."

"And how do you think it feels for me? Look, Parker's had a rough four years, okay, with him being bounced around from you to Phillip and back again, and me not being stable for most of it… and now he might not… he might not even make it to five…" Chloe blinked back tears. "I've also missed so much, and I… I also deserve to spend time with him. Please, Daniel, let me just have tonight. Let him know for once that his mommy loves him too, let him have some memories of me being there for him during this awful time."

Daniel was quiet for a long time. "Okay," he said at last. "Tell him I'll… I'll call to say goodnight like I do whenever he's with you."

Maxine came into the cafeteria. "There you two are," she said. "The radiologist's ready to do Parker's chest X-ray now, and I thought one or both of you should be there."

As JJ disappeared up the steps, Abigail came back from the kitchen, holding a bowl of pasta. "JJ!" she said. "Don't you want something to eat? It's my homemade tomato sauce."

"Maybe later, Abs," JJ said. "I gotta…" He ran up the steps without explaining what he had to do.

Abigail looked at her mother. "What just happened?"

Jen sank into the couch. "Believe me, honey, you don't want to know."

"Well, I heard you yelling at each other, and then...nothing. So everything is definitely not okay."

"I really don't want to talk about it, sweetheart." Jen tried to smile at her daughter. "Let's talk about you instead. Things seem to be getting serious between you and Ben."

"Yeah, I guess." Abigail shrugged. "I mean, yeah, we're spending a lot of time together and I'm, like, practically living there, but if you're hinting that you want to attend a wedding any time soon, I hate to disappoint you. We're just dating, that's all."

"Abigail Deveraux!" Jen feigned shock. "Me, hinting? No, honey, not at all. I just love that you're so happy, and honestly, I could use some happy news right about now. So tell me, what's Ben like? I mean, he seems sweet, but I really haven't had the chance to get to know him."

"He is sweet," Abigail said. "And protective. And loyal. And Mom, he just decided to go back to school. He and JJ might even end up in the same classes."

"That's great, honey. What's he going to study?"

"I'm not exactly sure." Abigail glanced at the steps. "Don't you think I should go try to talk to JJ? Sometimes when you can't get through to him, I have better luck, and if he's really headed down a bad path…"

"No, Abigail, don't. Your brother's fine. He's just… he has some things he has to figure out for himself, that's all."

"If you say so." Abigail sighed. "I just feel so useless, knowing that something's up with JJ and not being able to do anything about it."

"No," Jen said firmly. "No, we are not going to do that. Not this time. Think about the positives in your life. Do you have plans with Ben tonight?"

"I did but I'm thinking maybe I should cancel. You need me. JJ needs me."

"Honey," Jen said, "listen to me. I have learned the hard way that if you push someone away every time something in your life is less than perfect, after a while they'll stop coming back."

"Is that what happened between you and Daniel?"

"A… a lot of things happened there, and it's too complicated to go into, but yes, Abigail, I was afraid that if he saw that I wasn't this strong superwoman, I wouldn't be good enough for him. And I don't want to see that happen to you and Ben. So go. Be with Ben, have a good time if you can, and if you can't...let him hold you, sweetheart. Give him the chance to be there for you, don't cheat him out of it because of some stupid need to be perfect. Take it from me, Abigail, pretending you don't need him is just not worth it."

"Okay, Mom." Abby seemed stunned. "I guess I'll go then. You're sure you're all right?"

"Positive."

"And you'll call me if anything changes with…" Abby looked up at the stairs again.

"Of course, sweetheart."

Jen and Abby hugged. "I guess I'll see you later," Abigail said, pulling her purse over her shoulder. She turned back at the door, and waved to her mother. "I love you."

"Love you too." Jen tried to smile.

The door closed behind Abby. Jen sighed. She picked up her phone and flipped through the contacts, then made a phone call. "Kim? It's Jennifer. How are you? No, everything's fine, as far as I know. I don't think Theresa's been bothering JJ recently, though I know as much as you do. Anyway, the reason I called is I have a question for you that just can't wait."

Hope was on her phone when someone knocked on her office door. "Marissa," she said into the phone. "This is Detective Hope Brady again. I know you're frustrated with the progress on your case, but please call me back. I want to talk to you about something you can do to help us catch this guy. This is my personal cell, so you can call anytime. Even if you can't get to the phone til 11, 12 at night, it's okay. Just please, give me a call."

Whoever it was knocked again as Hope hung up. _I hope that girl's all right, _she thought, sighing, before calling, "Come in."

Eve Donovan came into the office, clutching her purse. Hope could feel her head beginning to pound as Eve came further in. "Eve," Hope said. "Are you here to report a crime?"

"What? Oh, goodness, no, not yet anyway. I'm sure though that that's coming any day now though, now that my daughter's moved right into the center of where all those violent attacks are taking place. Now the front desk sergeant tells me he can't say anything about the case, but he's sure my little girl is safe. Is he telling me the truth or do I have to get my lawyer on the phone to find out my options if anything happens to her?"

"I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to talk to Paige. I've been busy trying to catch this guy so that you-and she-don't have to worry about her safety. So if that's what you've come to check on, I'm going to have to ask you to excuse me."

"Wait just one minute," Eve said. "There's something else that's come up that I need to ask you about."

Hope rubbed her temples. "What is it, Eve?"

Eve played with the clasp on her purse. "This is kind of embarrassing," she said, "but a while ago I tried to do a good deed for a working girl… you know, try to give her a chance to avoid that kind of life… anyway, the poor girl is out of her mind and now that Paige's moving out, she's got this crazy notion she's gonna move into that room. Now, I'd like to do it, of course I would. If anyone knows what it's like out there on the streets for those kinds of girls, it's me. But I just can't…"

"Of course not," Hope said. "Nobody should just let a stranger move in with them just because the person seems to have fallen on hard times. Especially not if you know she's engaging in criminal activity."

"I just knew you'd understand."

"If she's bothering you, one of the uniforms can take a report, and then if she comes around again we have a basis for arresting her. That is, if we don't bust her for prostitution first."

"Arresting her? Oh no, that's not what I want at all. I guess I just have too big a heart, but I know how tough it is for this girl, especially now that she's… well, in the family way, you know? Now I talked to her about getting into a homeless shelter but she wasn't interested. So what I'm wondering is, can you dispatch some of those handsome men in blue to take her to the St. Lukes shelter anyway, whether she wants to or not?"

"Sorry, Eve. There's no law requiring homeless people to seek shelter. If you really don't want her in your home, your only option is to call 911 if she won't leave."

"Even though she might be putting her baby in danger by staying out there on the streets?"

"Look, if she seems like she's a danger to herself or her unborn child, we can get her into a hospital for a few days. But otherwise, I'm sorry, there's really nothing I can do. Now I really can't spare another minute, Eve, so if you don't mind…"

"Of course. You've been more helpful than you realize."

Eve walked out of the station. "A mental health hold might be just what the doctor ordered," she said to herself. She made a face. "I hate to go that far, but if you leave me no choice, Jill, that's just what I'll have to do."

The lab technician had already brought in the portable X-ray machine by the time Chloe and Daniel got back to Parker's room. The technician handed them lead aprons and told them to put them on.

"So what's this test for again?" Chloe asked as she put hers on.

"The doctor's going to take a look at the size of his heart," the lab technician explained. "We're going to need him to lie still; can one of you hold him?"

"I'll do it," Chloe said. The lab tech showed her exactly how he needed Parker to lie so that she could hold him still. Daniel took his hand.

"I don't like it," Parker said when the X-Ray machine began to hum. He started to cry. "No, no, I don't like it."

"It's okay," the lab tech said. "Just keep holding him. Crying won't mess up the results."

"No," Parker sobbed, working his way up to a tantrum. "no, no, no, make it go away."

"Ssh…" Chloe was blinking back her own tears. "It'll be over in just a second, it's okay…"

The X-ray flashed. "Hold still for just a few more seconds," the technician said, "and then we have to turn him around and take one from the other side."

"I don't think he can handle it." Chloe's eyes were wide. "Daniel, do something, I don't think they should make him do this."

Daniel turned to the tech. "Any chance Dr. Collins can get what she needs with just one picture?"

The tech sighed. "Risky. She probably can, but she wants an image from both angles so that she can double-check what she's seeing."

"He'll be fine," Daniel decided. "Let's get this over with."

"You hold him then," Chloe said. "I can't… he's gonna fight me and I just… I can't make him do it."

"We can come back later," the lab tech suggested. "Maybe after a break he'll be more amenable to another X-ray."

"Yeah, do that," Daniel told him. The lab tech collected the lead aprons and took the machine away.

Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed, Chloe in the seat next to Parker. Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "He was the same way about the blood test," he said. "He… every one of these tests is gonna be a new traumatic event for him."

"It's a good thing I'm here then," a voice said. Daniel and Chloe looked up to see Elizabeth Harper standing in the doorway.

"So what do you want to do first?" Daphne asked Paige. "Unpack or check out the campus?" Paige was staring off into space and didn't answer. "Earth to Paige," Daphne said. "Hello?"

"Sorry." Paige stared at the table. "Um, I guess unpack. I'm not really in the mood for socializing on campus."

"Okay, what happened now?" Daphne asked. "It was that weird guy, wasn't it? What did he say?"

Paige bit her lip. "JJ's friend Rory was arrested for the robberies," she said. "I can't believe it. I talked to him… I mean, it was months and months ago, but we all sat in JJ's living room studying for finals last year. How could he turn out to be this violent felon?"

"Paige." Daphne's voice was firm. "Don't believe everything you hear. I bet you anything that Rory got picked up for some other stupid crap."

"No, Jeff was pretty clear. He said Rory was in jail for the robberies."

"That guy. Now I know where I've seen him before. He's a wannabe sleazy reporter, thinks he's a big shot but really he doesn't know anything about anything." Daphne shuddered. "Ugh, please don't tell me you're actually into him."

"What? No! Ick." Paige took a sip of her soda. "He's just a good source of information, that's all."

"Yeah, if you like lies and innuendo. Paige, forget about him. You have a room to unpack and then we should go to the student center and celebrate. Our first night on campus. This is going to be great."

Paige pushed away from the table. "That sounds good," she said. "But can you give me a little bit? There's something I have to take care of real quick."

"Paige..."

"It'll be less than half an hour. I promise. I'll meet you at the room." Paige grabbed her purse and ran off, leaving Daphne to shake her head.

Marissa was sitting on a park bench, staring at her phone. Her missed calls log was full of calls from Detective Brady. She sighed and shook her head. "How stupid was I, thinking the police would actually do anything to get the guy who attacked me? I've watched enough TV to know it never works out that way." She blinked back tears. "Sorry, Detective Brady, if I want justice I'm going to have to track down this animal myself."

It was starting to get dark. Marissa looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was watching her as she continued playing with her phone. She opened her Salem U Social account and logged in quickly so that she could access the student directory. "If you go to school with me, I will find you," she mumbled. She flipped through pictures quickly, hoping for some sign that she was looking at her attacker.

She hesitated when she came to JJ's picture. His eyes were full of life and she half smiled, then sighed. She flipped past his photo, then changed her mind and went back to it. She looked into his eyes again, then scrolled down and clicked the button under it that said "Add as friend on Social."

A shadow fell over her, and she looked up, her eyes wide with fear. A woman was staring at her-the woman was pretty and blonde, though her makeup was overdone, and she was very obviously pregnant, though she didn't look like she was much older than Marissa.

"What are you doing here, honey?" the woman said. "Don't you know what this park's like at night?"

Jennifer glanced at the steps, then lowered her voice so that JJ wouldn't overhear. "After Theresa's overdose, how did you stage that intervention?"

In her home in LA, Kim put her feet up on a chair across from the one she was sitting in. "Oh dear. JJ isn't doing drugs again, is he?"

"No, no," Jen reassured her. "It isn't that, not yet anyway. But Kim, he's spiraling out of control and he won't listen to me. He's hanging out with that bad crowd again and starting to get into trouble. I have to do something before it's too late."

Kim sighed. "I'm really not the best one to talk to about this, honey. I can't exactly say that I've had any success in getting Theresa to turn around, or even getting her to talk to me. If you really want to do an intervention, I think Maggie is probably a better person for you to talk to. I understand she's kind of the go-to gal for drug and alcohol problems. But tell me what's going on. Maybe there's some other way I can help."

"He…" Jen blinked back tears. "Oh, Kim, I don't even know where to begin. He's been so distant since he and Paige broke up, and so full of rage again. I should have done something earlier, but as usual with him, I'm the last to know that something's wrong."

"I know the feeling." Kim sighed. "I'm sure you did already, but I have to ask...have you tried talking to him?"

"Of course. Kim, he mouthed off to a cop today and almost ended up in jail, but trying to confront him about it didn't accomplish anything."

"He just lashed out at you and insisted he knew what he was doing."

"Yes. So what do I do to get through to him?"

"Oh, honey, I wish I had the magic answer. But really all I have is advice about what not to do. When Jeannie… I mean Theresa… anyway when she was JJ's age I was so scared for her and her out of control behavior that I did everything completely wrong and just ended up alienating her totally. I'll be lucky if she calls me for Christmas, and every time she's thinking about visiting me, somehow she changes her mind. So learn from my mistakes, Jen. Don't push JJ away. You absolutely should state your concerns, but then after that, as heartbreaking as it is, you have to back off him, let him make his own choices."

Jen shook her head. "I can't let my son ruin his life."

"Oh Jennifer, I never said this was easy. Of course you want to jump in there and protect him from himself. But honey, with you in the middle, if things blow up in his face he'll think that if only Mom hadn't interfered everything would have been fine. If you get out of the way, it's all on him." Kim's leg began to cramp; she rubbed her ankle. "Look, maybe JJ will make the right choice and maybe he won't - "

"And if he doesn't, this time I don't think anyone's going to come along that can keep him out of jail."

"Nobody wants that to happen, of course we don't. But the good news is if you leave him alone, he'll still have a mom in his corner he can lean on to try to put his life back together when he's ready. Otherwise… well, like I said, there's not a day that goes by that I don't miss my Jeannie and wonder where the hell I went wrong."

Jen was silent, blinking back tears, thinking. Kim said, "If you decide you do want to do an intervention, call Maggie. And Jennifer, keep me in the loop, okay? I know sometimes when people leave Salem it's out of sight, out of mind, but as far as Shane and I are concerned, you're still like family."

Hope went to the front of the police station to meet Jeff. "Thank you for coming in," she told him. "Let's go to my office so that we can go over the details of your attack again."

As they headed back, they passed Rafe in the hall. "Hope!" he said. "You still working? Thought you'd be back home tucking your kid into bed by now."

"You know how important this case is," Hope replied. "If we don't clear up some of these discrepancies, we might have to let the suspect go, so I wanted to get Mr. Adkins' statement as soon as possible."

Hope and Jeff went into Hope's office. Jeff plopped into a chair without being asked. He sat up straight, a half-smile on his lips, as Hope picked up her notebook. "Now, Mr. Adkins," she began.

"I'm glad you're interviewing me this time," Jeff said. "Between you and me, I don't think that Hispanic dude really knows what he's doing. I guess he hasn't had a lot of high-profile cases like this."

Hope looked Jeff in the eye. She was tempted to tell him she knew that he was trying to antagonize her and that it wouldn't work, but she didn't want to tip her hand. "I'm sure you didn't come here to gossip about my partner," she said. "So let's stick to the facts of this case. Tell me again from the beginning what happened."

"Dr. Harper," Daniel said. "I appreciate that you have a job to do here, but Parker's mom and I are trying to absorb - "

"Relax, Dr. Jonas," Elizabeth said lightly. "I'm not here to try to get inside your head. Not today, anyway. I told you I was going check on how Parker is handling his illness. From the looks of things - " Chloe glanced at her and Elizabeth seemed to notice her for the first time. "Oh, hello. You're the mother?"

"That's me," Chloe said. She gave Daniel a look. He shrugged.

"I'm glad he has both parents here now. That'll help." Elizabeth came all the way into the room. "Now, from the sound of it, Parker is having a hard time with all the tests they have to run on him. Needles and machines are scary, aren't they, Parker?"

Parker turned his head away and said nothing. "I told you," Daniel said. "He doesn't talk to strangers."

"Well, that's all right. He and I will get to know each other soon enough. In the meantime, I'm going to leave this here." Elizabeth fished around in her bag and pulled out a toy. It looked like a miniature hospital. She put it on the stand by Parker's bed. "If you want, Parker, you can play with this. You can make the dolls inside get X-rays or needles or anything else that scares you. You can even ask Mommy or Daddy to play it with you." She turned towards the adults again. "Encourage him to act out his feelings in play. It'll help him feel more in control. I'll come back probably a couple times a day so he can get used to seeing me and we'll take it from there."

There was a knock on the door. Daniel turned to see Eric. "Looks like you have company," Elizabeth said. "I'll get out of your way for now."

Rory was sitting on his bunk when he heard the guard say to someone, "Two minutes, and that's it." He looked up to see Paige coming around the corner towards his cell.

"What're you doing here?" Rory asked, getting up. "Don't tell me the second I got locked up, JJ made a boneheaded decision and got back with you."

"I can't believe I didn't see it," Paige said, her voice soft. "All the time you and me and JJ spent together last summer, I never realized you were so violent. How could you, Rory? What, you needed a few dollars for weed and you didn't care who you hurt?"

"You got it all wrong, as usual," Rory said. "I never bought you were half as smart as JJ said you were supposed to be."

"Don't make excuses. Actually, do. I want to see what you're going to come up with to try to get out of this."

"Here's one," Rory said. "I didn't do it."

"Yeah, right."

"Go home, Paige. Feel nice and safe cause I'm behind bars." Rory flopped back on the bed. "There's plenty of people who believe me, and the funny thing is, none of them came running down here to spout off crap while I'm locked up that they're too chicken to say the rest of the time."

"Look, I didn't come here to be mean to you. I just… why would the police arrest you if you didn't have anything to do with it?""

"You don't get it, as usual. Look, why don't you ask that new girl JJ was with when the cops grabbed me? She was so mad, she made JJ come with her so they both could  
>raise hell about locking up the wrong guy."<p>

Paige blinked hard. "JJ...has a new girlfriend?"

"Dunno. I'd just met her like two seconds before it all went down. But she's definitely hot. I'll tell you something else too. I could tell she's the kind of girl who doesn't think twice before going after what she wants, and one look told me, she wants JJ."

Jen heard JJ coming down the steps. She composed herself, taking some deep breaths and wiping her eyes so he wouldn't see she'd been crying.

"I really appreciate you taking the time to see me," JJ said to someone on the phone. "Yeah, I'm heading out right now."

"JJ?" Jen asked as JJ hung up the phone. He turned towards her, a strange look that she couldn't quite read on his face. "Um…" Jen got up. "I'm not trying to pry, honey, but if that was Daniel you were just talking to… just keep in mind he's going through a lot with Parker right now and it may be best to give him some space."

"I know," JJ said. He shifted his weight as he thought about what he wanted to say. "Don't worry, Mom, I'm not going to bitch about you or anything. I… uh, that was Mr. Jennings I was talking to."

"Why?" Jen asked. "JJ, is there something more to what happened today than what Hope told me?"

"No."

"Are you sure? Because if you're in trouble, I'd rather you just tell me."

"You're not gonna like this, but okay."

"What… what is it?"

"It's a favor to Rory. He needs a lawyer, a good one."

"JJ…"

"I know what you're gonna say, but look, Mom, Rory's my friend and I want him to have the best chance. Look, if Hope had gone to him like I asked instead of running over here to get you all riled up about me, I wouldn't have to do this. But it's gotta be done, so I'm taking it into my own hands." JJ pulled on his coat. "I'll be back soon. I promise."

"JJ, wait," Jen said as JJ opened the door. "Please." JJ turned and she said, "I'm sorry about earlier, honey. I don't mean to be so hard on you. But you know me, I worry about you. Maybe too much, but it's better than not caring at all, right?"

"I know, Mom. I'm sorry too. Really. About everything." JJ sighed.

Jen held her arms out, and JJ let her hug him. "I love you, Mom. I wish I could take back every stupid thing I ever did to you and to Abs and to Daniel. I think about it all the time and no matter how sorry I am, I know it's never gonna be enough to make you trust me again."

"I do trust you," Jen told him. "It's just that I remember being your age, and the stupid things I did, and I don't want you to make those same mistakes." Jen adjusted JJ's collar. "Go so you don't keep Mr. Jennings waiting," she said. "Just promise me, when you come home, you won't avoid me."

"I'm not - "

"Please, honey, I need to hear it."

"I promise."

JJ left. Jen watched him go. _I'm going to have to do something, no matter what Kim said, _she thought. _But what?_

"I could ask you the same thing," Marissa said. "If the park's no place for me, it's no place for you either."

The other woman blinked back tears. "Do you think I want to be here? I don't know what your story is, but I bet you have nice parents, a nice place to live. Me, I did one stupid thing, made one mistake, and I ended up pregnant. I thought my parents would help me out, but they told me Jill, if you're old enough to have a baby you're old enough to take care of yourself." Jill sniffed. "And now, I'm $25 short of a hotel room, and my friend's apartment won't be ready for another week, and I don't know what to do."

Jill sat down on the bench next to Marissa without being asked. Marissa slid over, not wanting to get too close to this girl. "You really came here from wherever you were without any plan?" Marissa asked, sliding her phone into her purse before Jill could ask to use it.

"Hey when things get bad, you do what you have to do." Jill sighed. "I hate to ask this of a total stranger, but do you think you can lend me $25, just til tomorrow? That way I have a place to stay tonight, then tomorrow I can get to the bank and take it out to give back to you."

"I don't think so."

"Come on. A girl like you with a real nice purse and real nice clothes doesn't have a single dime to give to someone like me? I swear I'll pay you back."

Marissa didn't like the way Jill was eyeing her purse. She grabbed it and held it tight against herself. "I've already been robbed once," she said, "and I'm not gonna let you make me a victim a second time. Now leave me alone!" She got up and hurried away.

Jill watched Marissa leave, puzzled. _Wonder what her story was? _Jill thought. _I can't be losing my touch that quick._

Daphne could tell something was upsetting Paige as soon as Paige showed up at the dorm room, but she didn't feel like dealing with any more drama. She smiled and said, "So glad you're finally here! Let's get started."

"Okay," Paige said flatly.

"I brought up both boxes," Daphne said. "Let's get your bed set up first, then we can worry about the rest."

"Right."

Daphne crossed her arms as Paige went through the motions of opening the box of bedroom stuff and digging out her sheets to put on the bed. "Come on Paige," she said. "This is supposed to be, like, one of the happiest days of our lives so far, but tonight it's been one thing after another. Is it always like this with you?"

"What, are you having second thoughts?" Paige glared at Daphne, then went back to pulling at the sheet to try to stretch it across the bed.

"No, of course not. I just hate seeing you so unhappy. I thought moving to the dorms would be good for you or I never would have pushed it."

"It is good for me." Paige finally got the sheet on. She picked up her pillowcase. "Change is always a little rough, that's all. My mom and I, we've moved dozens of times, and every time, I always got attached to the place I used to be. Mom would always tell me not to care too much because nothing lasts forever, but I couldn't help it. No matter how much I knew we were going to pick up and move again, I fell in love with wherever we were."

"Ohhh." Daphne smoothed out a wrinkle in Paige's blanket. "Feeling homesick is normal, even if you only live on the other side of town. Believe me, I felt it at first. I would have gone home the first weekend but my parents wouldn't let me. They said I had to adjust to living here. And they were right. Paige, once you get past this we're going to have so much fun! There's study groups, and ice cream socials and parties… you'll see."

Paige shrugged.

"Where'd you go, anyway? To see your mom one last time?"

"Not exactly." Paige sighed. "I don't want to talk about it, Daphne, it was stupid."

"You went to see JJ?"

"No! Daphne, I said I didn't want to talk about it."

"Sorry, sorry. You're right. The bed's all made-now let's get started on decorating."

After JJ had told Aiden about Rory's arrest, Aiden said, "I hate to tell you this, JJ, but it sounds like the police have your friend dead to rights on the weed charge."

JJ slumped down in his seat. "So there's nothing you can do for him?"

"I didn't say that. You might not know this about me, but I don't give up that easily. We can't deny that your friend had the drug in his possession, but that doesn't necessarily mean the police had the right to search him."

JJ's eyes lit up. "You mean, like, they went through his pockets when they shouldn't have?"

"Exactly. And if that's the case, they can't use it against him. Now there are two ways we can argue this. We can either go for the search being illegal or we can go for the gold and try to argue they didn't have cause to arrest him. "

"They didn't," JJ said. "They were going off the say so of the guy that tried to rob Rory."

"Okay, well, I'll start by getting a copy of the police report. So the two of you were hanging out, having coffee with your other friend… what's his name?"

JJ blushed. "Marissa."

"Strange name for a boy," Aiden joked, but JJ just blushed deeper. "I'm guessing this is a date that didn't exactly go according to plan?"

"It wasn't a date. It was just...coffee."

"Mmm hmm. Well, anyway, I might need to get her version of events too after I've read the report." Aiden closed his notepad. "Now, before I get started on this, is there anything else you want to tell me about how this arrest went down?"

JJ scowled. "Has Hope been talking to you about me, too?"

"I already told the other cop everything," Jeff protested. "Why are you wasting my time getting it all again?"

"I know this is a pain," Hope said, "but I'm not doing it just to be annoying. The suspect you fingered is telling us a different story, so we have to go over everything again so that the district attorney feels comfortable pressing charges."

"Of course he is." Jeff's eyes flashed. "That guy would say or do anything to save his own ass. He's a liar, always has been, and always will be, and I hope he finally gets what he deserves."

"So you've had run-ins with him before?"

"Not really. I don't really… I mean, I don't hang out with stoners and losers like him. I've just heard things. It's all over campus. People are always complaining about that guy."

Hope wrote that down. "Let's shift gears a minute," she said. "I'm going to show you some pictures of the other victims. If you know any of them, let me know." She pressed a button on her tablet and showed Jeff the pictures she had shown Marissa before, plus one of Marissa. She watched carefully as Jeff looked at each picture. He spent a long time on each one, but he had his head down, so she couldn't see the expression on his face. Finally he looked up and shook his head. "Sorry. I wish I knew them. Then maybe I could explain why this happened." He slid the tablet back over to Hope. "Hmm…," he said. "I know this isn't the right time to say this, but you know, I'm interning for Nicole Walker, and landing an interview with any of these victims would really impress her."

"They're not talking to the press." Hope's voice was hard. "And you can tell Nicole to stop asking you to try to get information on this case, because there isn't any to give."

"Come on, there has to be something. I mean, this is a huge case, so - "

"Do you have anything else to add to your statement about what happened to you? If not, you're free to go."

"Back up a second there. Why would Hope have been talking to me about you?" Aiden asked JJ.

"I… I dunno. No reason really. I guess I just figured…"

"What, that because Hope and I are dating, the first thing she's going to tell me is, 'Guess who was a witness to an arrest my officers made today?' I don't know what type of pillow talk you engage in, kid, but neither of us thinks of that as a good time." Aiden gave JJ a stern look. "Now, what did you do that you'd rather Hope not tell me? If it's got anything to do with this case, I think you'd better let me know before I go to court and make a fool of myself. Otherwise, you can feel free to tell me to mind my own business."

"The cops that arrested Rory, they hated me. I swear, Mr. Jennings, I didn't do anything, but they had it in for me and if they could have, they would have taken me to the police station just for the hell of it."

"Let me stop you right there. That's not a story. That's a bunch of excuses. What happened?"

"Okay. When they first arrested Rory, I tried to tell them he hadn't done anything, but they wouldn't listen. They told me to shut up and I did. But then they found the weed, so I asked them if they were gonna charge him with it. I swear, Mr. Jennings, that's all that happened, but according to them, I was way out of line and just lucky they didn't slap cuffs on me too."

Aiden sighed. JJ said, "Look, my mom and Hope both already gave me a lecture about how bad I screwed up, so can you do me a favor and keep yours short?"

"How's this?" Aiden said. "Don't act stupid while the cops are arresting someone."

JJ reddened but said nothing. Aiden said, "None of that should affect the outcome of the case, thankfully, even if the cops did think you were trying to help your friend get away with something. So when's the bail hearing? Tomorrow?"

"So you will take the case?"

"Well, we'll see. I'll at least do his bail hearing. It shouldn't be too complicated."

"One more thing," JJ said as he got up. "I probably should have said this at the beginning, but um, Rory… he doesn't have a lot of money."

Aiden paused for a second, then he said, "Tell you what. Every once in a while I do a good deed. The rest of the time I find other ways to make people pay if they don't have the money. After the bail hearing, I'll work it out with your friend. Sound like a deal?" He held out his hand, and he and JJ shook on it.

"I'm sorry," Eric said as he came in. "Was I interrupting something important?"

"Not at all." Daniel put on his best face. "I'm glad you stopped by. I'm not sure you've met Parker's mom. Chloe, this is - "

"Father Eric," Chloe said. "Of course. I mean, I never had the chance to see you at the parish, but I kept in touch with Father Matt until the end, and he really thought a lot of you." She sighed. "I miss him."

"Me too. St. Lukes is still accepting donations in honor of his memory, but I know that's not the same. For me either. There are so many times I wish I had the benefit of his advice just one more time. Anyway, I'm not a priest anymore...it's just Eric now. I'm sure Daniel's told you."

"Oh. Yeah, he has."

There was an awkward silence, then Eric said, "Anyway, I didn't come to discuss all that. I heard about Parker's illness and I thought I'd stop by, see if there was anything I could do to help."

"I wish there was, man." Daniel sighed deeply. "Right now looks like all we can do is wait for them to finish running tests and decide on his treatment."

Eric looked at him. "I hope you're not losing faith. When I was at my lowest point, you reminded me to keep mine, and even though things didn't work out the way I had hoped, that keeps me going every day now." Daniel sighed and Eric asked, "Do you need to go someplace to talk?"

"Nah, I'm okay… at least for now. But thanks."

"There is one thing you can do," Chloe said. She took her rosary out again and played with it. "I prayed over Parker earlier, but I'd really appreciate it if you would… lead us in prayer."

"Of course." Eric took Chloe's hand. Daniel stood watching them. Eric held out his other hand. "Daniel?"

Daniel hesitated. "I, uh, I think I'd better leave this one to you and Chloe. Thanks though."

"You don't have to say anything," Chloe told him. "Just… just be with us. Please."

"I hope I'm not speaking out of turn, but Chloe's right. Just look at Parker and think about how much you love him and want him to get better. That's all praying is… you don't need to have the words."

Daniel nodded. He moved into the prayer circle. "Take my hand," Eric told him, "and Parker's, and just let all of our desire for healing carry you." Eric closed his eyes and began saying the Our Father.

Rafe headed down to the holding cells before heading out for the night. Rory was eating the tray of food the guards had given him; he looked up and said, "Didn't know you gave such good grub around here. Maybe I'd have got myself locked up earlier if I knew I'd be getting the best food I've had in a couple months."

"Yeah, well, I'm sure you don't want to stay with us one minute longer than you have to."

"What's up?" Rory asked. "I mean, I've never got a personal visit from a cop before, so something big must be going down."

"I wanted to update you on what we talked about earlier. It's only fair."

"And? Am I beating the rap?"

"The DA's leaning that way, but she's not all the way there." Rafe sighed. "Looks like you're gonna be spending the night here after all."

Rory put the food aside. "That sucks," he said. "Look, dude, I don't mind being locked up for the weed cause that's kinda the way it works, but this all started cause of something I didn't do, and that's not cool."

"You're right, it's not. For what it's worth, I believe your story, and I hope it all goes your way tomorrow. But word of advice?" Rafe leaned in close and said, quietly, "Stop smoking weed and we won't have anything to hold over your head."

"Can't do that, dude," Rory said uncertainly.

"Your call," Rafe said. "But like you said, this all started cause of something you didn't do...think about if it's worth it." He walked off.

Marissa decided to go back to her dorm room after all. Being in the park was just as scary, especially after talking to Jill; at least in the dorm, there were other people around, and she could always call the RA if she needed someone to talk to. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing.

As she got out of the elevator, she saw a half-open door down the hall. She tiptoed towards it, feeling like running away but also feeling it was her duty to make sure nobody else was being attacked. She held her phone tightly in her hand as she crept towards the door.

Inside, she heard girls' voices, laughing. "Let's try this poster again," one of them said, "and maybe hang it a little less crooked." She straightened up and saw there were half-empty boxes in the room, and a girl she'd never seen before, with long dark hair.

Marissa stood silently watching for a minute, trying to decide whether or not to knock on the door. She vaguely remembered her first day on campus, how the dorm was full of people moving in, most of them with their parents. She was the only girl who had come alone, or so it seemed. She'd stood in the hall watching everyone go into their rooms, listening to the easy way they talked with their parents-and with each other. Somehow everyone else in the dorm seemed to have already made a friend or two, while she, Marissa, knew nobody and had nobody. She'd felt so alone, but she thought in a day or two, when she started classes, that would change.

It hadn't changed, though. Except for JJ, Marissa really hadn't talked to anybody outside of class. Other people at school had friends-she just had acquaintances. She didn't even know if JJ could be called a friend. She glanced down at her phone; nope, no response to her friend request on Salem U Social _No wonder the robber decided to attack me_, Marissa thought. _I must have been giving off pathetic vibes. _

She watched the girls finish hanging their poster. Marissa considered knocking on the door and introducing herself, but she just didn't have the energy. She slid away and stood outside her dorm room, holding her keys but feeling a sense of dread about going inside.

Nicole was on the couch, nursing another glass of wine, when Daniel came in. "Chloe kick you out too?" she asked.

Daniel looked at her. It hit him suddenly how weary he was; it was hard for him to put together what he wanted to say. "She, uh… she feels really bad about earlier. It wasn't you, Nicole, I hope you know that."

"That's a first." Nicole sipped the wine.

"I really don't have it in me to get into this tonight."

"You're right. So was Kayla...except for the telling me to leave when I wasn't who started it part."

"Nicole…"

"Sorry. No, you're totally right...my hurt feelings are the least of anyone's concerns right now. How are you doing with… uh, with the news about Parker?"

Daniel sat down on the couch, not even bothering to take his coat off. "Like I've just been run over by a truck."

"Yeah, you look it." Nicole reached over and gently peeled Daniel's coat off of him.

"Thanks a lot." Daniel laughed; it was a short, bitter sound. "Guess I can always count on you for the truth." He and Nicole stared at each other and she said, "I know I didn't hear what I think I just heard."

"What's that?"

"You… trusting me again."

"Yeah, I trust you. I trust you to make this about you." Daniel smiled slightly. "No, seriously, Nicole… I've forgotten how willing you are to say exactly what's on your mind and… how much I need that."

Nicole got up, not wanting Daniel to see her face. She walked behind him. "When you say things like that," she said, "you don't make it easy to be unselfish." She concentrated on squeezing his shoulders. "Did they at least give you any news on Parker's treatment?"

"We're not there yet. They're running test after test after test and he… he's getting more and more upset… and that shrink, she came by and what'd she do? She gave him a toy. A toy, Nicole… what the hell is that gonna do?" Daniel blinked back tears. "So now all of us… all of us we just wait and wait for them to tell us something, anything."

Daniel's shoulders shook and Nicole knew he wasn't going to be able to hold in the tears much longer. She climbed over the couch and sat down next to him, pulling him towards her, hugging him. "Waiting's the worst part," she said. She could feel her own eyes getting wet as Daniel struggled with wanting to cry and wanting not to.

"Here," Nicole said, her own voice breaking. "A literal shoulder to cry on." She shifted her position so that Daniel was leaning his head on her shoulder.

Daniel's shoulders shook but no tears came out. "Don't hold back," Nicole told him, stroking his hair. "They say that's not good for you."

Daniel looked up at her. "I can't… I can't do this…"

Nicole meant to tell him that he could, that he was stronger than he thought, but somehow she ended up saying, "I know." She stroked his cheek. "I think when your son is really, really sick, even you are allowed to be weak." She kissed his cheek. Daniel looked up at her and she looked at him. _Don't do this, Nicole, _she thought. _You know how this ends-how many times will it take before you learn? _

She leaned in towards him anyway.

Daniel pulled away, making the decision for her. "I… uh, I'm pretty beat, Nicole, and I'm sure you are too. So if you want to stay in the guest room, that's, uh, that's not a problem."

"Okay." Nicole tried to sound relieved, but something caught in her throat. "Um… good night."

She watched Daniel walk off into his bedroom. "Well, glad our annual almost kiss is over," Nicole said under her breath. She picked up a throw pillow from the couch and hugged it to herself, feeling tears well up in her eyes again.


	7. Chapter 7

Roman spent the first part of the next morning going over the reports on the robbery case again and again, looking for something new that didn't seem to be there. Rafe knocked on his door. "You wanted to see me, boss?"

Roman looked up. "Yeah. Have a seat and fill me in on the latest in this case. And please tell me you know something I don't, cause from where I'm sitting, we're at a dead end."

"Sure." Rafe sat down. "Shouldn't we wait for Hope to get here, though? She's the one who interviewed our so-called victim."

"She's gonna be late. She had something she needed to do for Ciara. Anyway, whatcha got for me?"

Rafe looked through his notes. "Hope and I deliberately set up Jeff Adkins to think we were workin' round the clock just for his benefit."

"And?"

"And nothing about him adds up. According to Hope's notes, he was belligerent, uncooperative… she felt like he was trying to wrest control of the interview away from her. Her feeling is, and mine too, he had something to do with these robberies. Now the kid he fingered, his story matches what we know about this perp. Guy grabbed him from behind, held him at knifepoint, demanded his stuff. The only difference is, he chose a victim who knew enough about self-defense to get one over on him."

"So you think this Jeff guy is our robber?"

"I'd put my money on it. The thing is, though, we can't prove it yet. He hasn't slipped up, not once, except for getting beaten at his own game by Rory, and let's face it-that kid's not exactly an ideal witness. He's a stoner, he was high at the time, and even when he's sober he doesn't take a single thing seriously. There's no physical evidence, no weapon, no signs of missing property being sold or used. It's just one kid's word against another, and no judge's gonna issue a search warrant for Jeff's property based on a gut feeling about which one is telling the truth."

"Damn it, Rafe, we gotta get a step ahead of this robber somehow."

"I know it." Rafe sighed. "What do you want to do, boss? We could put a tail on this Jeff, see what he's doing, but I don't know if it would do any good. I mean, the kid's smart. He's probably not gonna strike again til enough time's passed that the heat's off him. Not that I want anyone else to get hurt, but as long as he's laying low, we don't have much of a chance of tying anything to him."

"Maybe, maybe not. If we put some bait out there, do you think he might take it?"

"What do you have in mind?"

"Get that head of campus security on the phone-what's his name, Peterson-to set up a meeting. That way I don't have to repeat myself. In the meantime, go over the list of stolen merchandise. I know it sounds like busy work, but maybe we'll get lucky and some of that stuff will turn up somewhere. After all, what the hell kind of robber goes to all that trouble just to sit on his loot?"

Rory was finishing up his breakfast when Aiden came around the corner. "Mr. Adams," Aiden said. "We have a few minutes before your date with the judge, so I thought this would be a good time to talk about how things are going to go today."

"Wait… who are you?"

"I guess JJ didn't have an opportunity to get in touch with you after he left my office. I'm Aiden Jennings. I'm going to be handling your bail hearing."

"And you're on my side?"

"Strangely enough, yes."

"Damn it." Rory sat down on the bed. "I told JJ I didn't need any fancy lawyer. It's just a weed charge, how long can they keep me locked up? Even the cops said I'm gonna get out of here today."

"First piece of advice: stop talking to the cops. They're not your friends, they're here to do a job, and that job is to get everything out of you they can to try to make a case against you. In fact, the nicer they are to you, the more important it is you keep your mouth shut. When they've got someone on the other side of these bars, they're only friendly when they want something, and that something is facts they can use to keep you where you are. Understood?"

"So, like, does this mean you're my lawyer whether I like it or not?"

"For the moment. But if I were you, I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Someone out there cares enough about you to get the best possible representation so that you can get out of here and on with your life. Take it."

Rory sighed. "I, um, I appreciate it, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't have a rich mom like JJ does. I can't pay you the big bucks."

"I told JJ and I'm telling you, don't worry about that. Now, we're wasting time, cause any minute now a guard is going to come down here to put cuffs on you and escort you to the courthouse. So let's get down to business. What's gonna happen today is that as soon as we get to court, I'm going to talk to the DA and try to make a deal to get you out of here. If I can't get her to budge, I will do my best to convince the judge that there's no reason to keep you locked up until your trial. Hopefully we can get you released so that you're free to come to my office to discuss what's going to happen next."

The guard came into the holding area just then. "Time for court. Let's go."

As Rory stood and put his hands behind his back, Aiden said, "Whatever happens today, my advice is just sit tight and let me do the talking. One way or the other, we'll get you past this." He patted Rory's shoulder, since he couldn't shake his hand, as the guard took him out of the cell.

Nicole got up super early so that she could run over to her hotel room and change before heading to work-she hadn't planned on staying over and for once didn't have anything with her except the dress she'd been wearing the day before. She didn't think Daniel was up and that was fine with her; she didn't want to have any serious conversations with him before her first cup of coffee, and anyway, he really needed his sleep.

When she was about ready to go, she made a quick phone call to JJ. "Any progress on what we talked about?"

"I'm on my way to my friend's bail hearing. I figured after that I'd try to catch Jeff at the cafeteria or something. He lives on campus so he shouldn't be hard to track down."

"See, there's those instincts I'm talking about. Listen, I'm glad you're going to that hearing."

"Why?"

"It saves me the trouble of going down there to try to cover it."

"Cover it? How? What should I do?"

"Relax, first of all. It's not a Supreme Court confirmation, it's just a bail hearing in Nowheresville. You still breathing or do I need to get Daniel on the line to give you the verbal equivalent of CPR?"

"I'm all right." JJ wanted to ask Nicole a ton of questions about Parker and also about whether she'd moved back in with Daniel, but now was not the time.

"In that case, listen. Try to sit in the front row-I mean if you weren't planning on it already-and keep your eyes and ears peeled for anything interesting. When you're done drop by my office, mainly so you can tell me about it, but also so you can prove to Miles' satisfaction that you actually exist. Think you can handle that without backup?"

"I'll do my best."

"That confident attitude should win Pulitzers. But I guess if you set the bar low, you can't do anything but exceed your own expectations. All right, check in with me later. Bye." Nicole hung up. She tossed her phone into her purse and walked into the living room, where she was so startled to see Daniel sitting on the couch, doing something on his laptop, that she squealed a little.

Eve wandered around her apartment, not sure what to do with herself. _It's funny how big this apartment feels today, _she thought. _It seemed so small and unworthy of my daughter when I first came back to Salem._

Paige's bedroom door was still closed, allowing her to pretend for a second that her daughter was still there and just hadn't woken up yet. Eve sighed deeply as she put her hand on the doorknob. For so many years it had been her and Paige, just her and Paige.

_Eve found out she was pregnant two days after Paige's father left. It was Christmas Eve, too, the first of many Christmases she expected to spend all by herself. When she got the news, she started driving, not knowing where she was going. Somehow, she ended up at her father's. She hoped Kim wasn't there, even though at the same time she thought maybe this one time Kim would be understanding._

_When she got there it seemed like it took forever for her little half sister Jeannie to get Shane and Kim into the living room. Kim said to Eve, "I'm so glad you could join us for Christmas this year." Then she turned around and told Jeannie to go play. Jeannie went to the top of the steps to spy on them and Kim's smile faded. "What's really going on?"_

"_He left me," Eve said, surprising herself with how quickly she got to the point. "Yeah, that's right, I got kicked out of the garden of Eden. Again. And I know, you're going to say this is all my fault, and he probably thinks so too." Eve blinked back tears. "I really thought he was different than all the others. He was a good man, a man with a sense of decency and honor, the kind of man that usually goes for someone like Jennifer Horton. How stupid was I, thinking he'd ever stay with someone like me?"_

"_Well, maybe that's the problem," Kim said. "Just because he's right for Jennifer doesn't make him right for you. There's more than one kind of good man in the world, Eve. There's one out there for you if you would stop trying to be something you're not."_

"_Spare me the psychobabble," Eve said bitterly. _

"_Darling," Shane asked, "why do I have this feeling there's more to this story than you've told us so far?"_

"_There is." Eve blinked hard. "This isn't exactly how I planned it, or how I imagined it going, but, Daddy, before he left, he… he made you a grandpa." She scanned Shane and Kim's shocked faces. "Go ahead, tell me how I screwed up this child's life before it was even born."_

"_What a blessing," Kim said softly. Eve turned towards her, incredulous. "At least one good thing came out of this whole mess. You're going to be a mother, Eve."_

"_How is she going to - "_

"_We'll help her, won't we, Shane? And Andrew and Jeannie can learn to do little things for the baby, too." Shane didn't look happy, but Kim said, "The circumstances might not have been ideal, but we don't want this child to ever know that it was anything but completely loved and wanted. Of course it's up to Eve what to do, but if we can I want to help give that baby a blessed life."_

Eve found tears running down her face again now. She had tried so hard to give Paige the life Kim had talked about, to make something good come out of the mess she'd made with Paige's father. She'd given her music lessons and art lessons and gone to all sorts of events and encouraged her interests… and they had been so close. And now… now Paige practically hated her.

She picked up the phone and called her daughter. "Sweetheart, it's Mom," Eve said, feeling instantly better when she heard he daughter's voice. "How are you baby?"

After hanging up with Nicole, JJ had a few minutes to spare. As he tightened his tie, he checked out his notifications on his phone. He had a Salem U Social friend request icon; he clicked on it and Marissa's profile came up.

_Marissa had asked him if he smoked weed right before the cops rolled up on them. What would she have said if he'd had the chance to tell her the truth?_

JJ shook his head. "Sorry, Marissa, it's better you don't get to know me. You won't like what you find out any more than Paige did." He put his finger over the DELETE REQUEST button, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to touch it.

He slid the phone into his pocket just as his mom came down the stairs. "You look great, honey," Jen said. "Where are you going, all dressed up?"

"Um, Rory's bail hearing is this morning."

"Oh. So were you able to make arrangements with Aiden Jennings to take his case?"

"He's gonna do today's hearing," JJ said wearily, sensing an argument coming and not wanting one.

"Is he - "

"I really gotta go, Mom."

"You know, JJ, maybe I didn't make this clear the other day, but I really do hope for the best for your friend."

"Do you?"

"Of course I do." Jen automatically straightened JJ's collar. "Just because I don't like who you become when you're around Rory doesn't mean that I wish bad things for him. I do feel sorry for him, especially after what you told me about his home life, and I hope he gets what he needs in order to get on a better path. I just think he needs more than you can possibly give him, and I don't want to see you throw your life away for him. That's all."

"Mom! I'm not doing that. I want to finish college and make something of myself-don't you know that?"

"Yes, of course I do. But when it comes to Rory, sometimes I wonder if there's anything you won't do."

"I'm gonna be late." JJ pulled his coat on and hurried out of the house.

Jen sighed as she closed the door after him. _Why can't I ever say the right thing when it comes to my son?_ she thought.

Chloe had barely opened her eyes when the lab tech came back with the x-ray machine. "Do you have to do that now?" she asked, glancing at Parker. "He just woke up; can't you give him a few minutes before you start poking and prodding him?"

"Sorry. Dr. Collins needs this as soon as possible. As soon as she has the second image, she can make a decision about treatment."

Chloe sighed. She glanced at Parker and said, "Can you be a big boy this time and just let the doctor take the picture?" Parker shook his head. Chloe sighed and got down on her knees so she was looking at Parker at eye level. "Please, angel? The machine won't hurt you, I promise. It's just going to take a picture of your insides to give to the doctor so she can see what's making you sick." Chloe blinked back tears, wanting to be strong for her son. "Just roll over on your tummy, you won't even see it."

"Nooo," Parker said.

"Come on buddy," the lab tech said. "What's it gonna take to get you to cooperate?"

Parker shook his head. Chloe said, "Tell Mommy." Parker whispered something in her ear and she said, "We can't go home now, baby. We just can't." She blinked hard. "Please angel, just roll over." She reached for him to help him roll over, but he grabbed onto the sides of the bed and held on tight, starting to cry.

Chloe couldn't stand it. She looked around desperately for someone, anyone who could help. Maxine was passing by, so she called to her, "Maxine! Can you come in here for a minute please?"

"Of course." Maxine came in and Chloe said, "This is impossible. This x-ray machine scares the living daylights out of him and they say they need to take another one, but he won't… and maybe Daniel could get him to cooperate, but he's not here and I just can't take this."

"Don't you worry. I know how to handle this boy." Maxine came and sat down. "Now Parker, we talked about this. Do I need to ask Dr. Brady to come in here and give you a big needle full of medicine to make you calm down?"

While Maxine went on talking to Parker, Chloe slipped out of the room for a second. She hated to leave Parker, but she couldn't handle seeing him this upset, or the machines, or the whole situation. She flipped through her contacts to find the number she was looking for. "Hi," she said into the phone, barely controlling the tears. "I know it's probably weird for me to call you after all this time, but you know that family emergency I told you about when we ran into each other? It's… it's Parker… Right, of course you figured that-what other family do I have left in Salem anyway? What? They're… they're still running tests. No, even Daniel knows he can't be the lead doctor for his own son, but he's overseeing it as much as he can." Chloe sniffed. "Look, stop asking so many questions! No, I wanted you to know. If anyone should, it's you. Really? You're… you're glad I called? Oh. Of course. Yes… yes I'll keep you posted. Always." She hung up and collapsed against the wall, hugging the phone against her heart.

"What's wrong, Mom?" Paige asked, pressing the phone to her ear and playing with her keys. She and Daphne had just been about to go grab some breakfast at the cafeteria when the phone rang. "You sound terrible."

"Let's go," Daphne mouthed to Paige, but Paige held up her finger.

"Everything's fine," Paige said. "No, nothing happened. It's been nice and quiet. Today? Daphne and I are going to go to breakfast and she wants to show me around campus before class. Mom… listen, I'm fine. Okay, okay, yes I can do that. I will find time today to come get the rest of my things. Daphne can - Why? Okay, fine, I'll come alone. See you later."

Paige groaned as she got off the phone. "Oh my God, my mom!"

"You didn't have to pick up," Daphne said.

"She's my mom. Of course I'm going to talk to her."

"Well yeah, but you're already homesick and she's not helping. You're on your own now, Paige. You get to decide when you want to talk to her. You don't have to jump every time she calls anymore."

Paige squeezed her keys. "Can we please just go?"

"I know you feel like I'm being hard on your mom, but Paige, I'm just trying to look out for you. She's trying to make you feel sorry for her so you'll move back home, and you can't let her do that."

"Nobody needs to look out for me! That's why I moved away from my mom in the first place, remember?"

"You're right, you're right. I'm sorry I said anything." Daphne pulled her purse on and walked quickly away. Paige sighed before following her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," Daniel said to Nicole.

"Scare me? Don't flatter yourself, Jonas-I don't scare that easily. I was just the tiniest bit surprised, maybe. I've been tiptoeing around, trying to make sure you don't have any excuses for getting out of bed before you absolutely need to, and here you are. What are you doing, anyway?"

"Just brushing up on a couple of things." Daniel's eyes didn't move from his screen. "I'm not up on the latest treatments for heart disease. It's just not my specialty."

"What? There's something medical you don't know?"

"I know. Shocker." Daniel almost smiled. "I don't expect to know enough to say definitively what Parker needs, but I figured instead of walking in there blind, if I can just get enough of this research into my head to form an intelligent opinion, maybe it'll up his chances of getting the best care." Nicole started to say something, but Daniel cut her off before she started, saying, "I have to do something, Nicole. I can't just sit here waiting for the hospital to decide his fate."

"So you keep telling me," Nicole said. "Hurry up and wait's not my style either. Want me to check into the cardiologist's background to make sure she's the best one for the job?"

"Nah, not necessary." Daniel glanced up at Nicole for the first time. "You heading out?"

"You know me, I hate to say goodbye but I'm always rushing somewhere. Did you need me?"

"Not exactly." Daniel looked like he wanted to say something else, but he didn't.

"Okay then." Nicole put her hand on the doorknob, then turned around. "It was kinda nice staying here last night," she said. "It felt like things were almost the way they were before."

"Yeah." Daniel turned back to his computer.

"Daniel?" Nicole pretended to be looking for the right key while she waited for Daniel to look up again. "Uh...what happened last night...it's not going to make things awkward between us, is it?"

Daniel's eyes widened but all he said was, "Don't worry about it. I was tired, you were tired...it's already forgotten about."

"Okay. As long as we're on the same page."

Daniel nodded.

"I'll… I'll check in later to see how Parker's doing," Nicole said. She hurried out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. _Yeah,_ she thought, leaning against the wall. _Same page but in a completely different book._

Marissa headed to her therapy appointment early. It was a nice day, especially for October, and anyway, getting out of the dorm room instantly made her feel a little better despite the fact that once again she hadn't slep very wellt. This time it was weird dreams where nothing really happened, but she kept jerking awake and sitting straight up in bed like something had terrified her.

As she walked across the town square, she saw JJ hurrying in the other direction. She smiled ruefully, telling herself, _Keep walking. He's going to think you're stalking him, the way you keep popping up wherever he is. _She found herself calling his name anyway.

JJ turned around. "Uh… hey… I'm kinda in a hurry, Marissa."

"Okay," Marissa's heart sank-why was JJ being so cold to her all of a sudden? "But listen… instead of us running into each other at random times, why don't we, like, plan something?" Her heart beat fast but she kept going. "I mean, you've owed me a conversation for a long time, and I'd really like to have it." JJ didn't answer and Marissa asked, "Where are you going, anyway?"

"Rory's bail hearing."

"Oh. I hope it works out for him. If I didn't have this stupid appointment, I'd go too. Not… not cause of you… or not just cause of you anyway. What happened to him was a travesty and I want him to know he has my support."

"I'll tell him." JJ glanced at his phone. "Listen, I don't wanna be late...for all I know they close the doors when they start and I don't want Rory to think I flaked on him. Can I catch up with you later?"

"Student center at like, 11?"

JJ nodded before hurrying off. Marissa sighed as she checked her phone and went off in the other direction.

As soon as Rory's escort had sat him down at the defense table, Aiden approached the DA. "Aiden," she said, surprised. "I can't believe you're taking such an insignificant case."

"I could say the same thing." Aiden gave her a half smile-it couldn't hurt. "What do you say we make this go away? We plead guilty, he gets a couple days community service, maybe a required meeting or two, and we call it a day."

"With his arrest record? I don't think so."

"Come on, Lindsay. Are you really going to waste the taxpayers' time and money playing hardball on this while hardened criminals go free?"

"Look, if it were up to me, I'd be happy to plead out. But I'm under orders to make an example of this kid. The weed's not that important, but he's in and out of jail, plus with all the drug crime in Salem, the prosecutor's office feels that overlooking minor offenses is just going to lead to even more major offenses. Someone has to start paying, and unfortunately for your client, that someone is him."

Aiden crossed his arms. "So there's no kind of deal we can strike here?"

"Not one that doesn't include jail time. Now I know what you're going to say, so don't bother opening your mouth. I may be stubborn, but you're the one who's threatening to try a case he can't possibly win without resorting to technicalities and other tactics. Your boy's guilty, period. Let him do some time and we'll call it even."

Aiden crossed his arms. "Three days, with credit for time served." The DA gave him a look and he said, "Come on, don't tell me you're looking for a long jail term over this."

"He might have robbed somebody! Besides, a sentence that amounts to him going free is no sentence at all. He serves a full 30 days in addition to going to AA meetings, a year's probation and submission to random drug screenings."

"No can do. I guess we're going to trial." Aiden walked over to Rory, ending the conversation.

_Chloe thought she heard Parker's monitor beeping like crazy. She put her phone away and pulled herself together, hurrying towards his room._

_Maxine stopped her at the doorway. "You might as well stay out there so that you're out of the doctors' way."_

"_What's going on?" Chloe pushed against her. "I need to be with my son."_

"_You need to calm down. If you want to be helpful, call Daniel and tell him to get his butt back here as soon as possible."_

JJ felt as nervous walking into the courtroom as he did during his own hearing. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, as he headed for the front row. Memories were flooding his brain… talking with Aiden right before his hearing began… Theresa coming up to him and trying to mess with him… the way the judge looked at him…

He shook his head. That was then, this was now, and he'd been out of trouble for a year. There was nothing to be nervous about, not as far as his own freedom went, anyway. He could see Mr. Jennings up front with Rory, and the DA… the judge hadn't come in yet.

JJ continued looking around as he slid into a seat in the front row. The room was mainly empty, which didn't surprise him, though he was disappointed that Bev wasn't there. She was probably being selfish, enjoying some time with Cole instead of supporting Rory. _I know Cole set Rory up, _JJ thought. _I just have to find a way to prove it._

Someone else was coming in now. JJ turned to see who, and was shocked to see it was Jeff. The two boys locked eyes, then both turned away at the same time. Jeff came down and sat down next to JJ.

"Didn't think I'd see you til class on Tuesday," Jeff said.

"Yeah, me either."

"You here supporting your friend?"

JJ nodded. Nicole hadn't told him to keep his job secret, but he had this feeling he wasn't supposed to tell anybody, especially not Jeff.

"Sorry to tell you this," Jeff said, "but he doesn't deserve your support." He leaned forward. "See, Rory might put on this cool stoner vibe, but it's all an act. Underneath that mellow exterior beats a black little heart. That boy robbed me and tied me up and they had better do something about it."

"Why are you here?" JJ asked. "Don't you have a big story to chase?"

Jeff laughed. "This is why you're not a reporter like me. No instincts." He leaned back. "This is the story, dude. Either they'll lock Rory up til his trial or they won't. Either way, I get to write about it, show how justice works or doesn't work in this sleepy little town. Small comfort after what just happened to me, but it's better than nothing. Just wait til I walk into Nicole Walker's office with my write-up. She'll see what I'm made of."

"Yeah." JJ swallowed the rest of what he really wanted to say, adding only, "I ran into her yesterday, dude. She's looking for you."

"Of course she is." Jeff grinned. "I knew she'd see what she has in me eventually. I pulled a little trick, man, one she will be proud of."

"You mean telling the cops you work for her?"

Jeff's face fell. "How'd you know?"

"She was pretty pissed off about it. I was trying to get some peace, play my guitar in the park, and she comes along wanting to know did I know you. She was really gunning for you, dude."

A scowl flashed across Jeff's face, but he quickly replaced it with a smile. "She'll get over it once she sees my write up. I'm telling you, man, this is my day. She's gonna hire me by this afternoon. You'll see."

The bailiff announced Judge Walston just then. JJ looked at Jeff out of the corner of his eye as he rose. Jeff's eyes were sparkling and a half smile crept across his face, giving JJ the chills.

"I'm so glad you decided to come see me today," Marlena said, smiling at Marissa.

Marissa sat up straighter, her eyes narrowing. "Why?"

"Well, when we last spoke, you were determined to handle the after effects of your attack on your own. It takes a lot of strength to admit that you aren't doing as well as you'd like and to ask for help." Marlena picked up a pen. "Now, before we get started, I do want to tell you that the work we will be doing together is completely separate from the work we may do in order to help the police catch the person who did this to you."

Marissa crossed her arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh. You must not have got in touch with Detective Brady yet. I'm going to be working with her-and perhaps with you-on some techniques that may help you remember more about what happened to you so that the police can more easily apprehend your attacker. But that's not important right now. As I said, the work we're doing together right now is completely separate from that."

Marissa sat quietly biting her lip. Dr. Evans remarked, "You look like you have something to say."

"I have a lot to say." Marissa breathed deeply. "In answer to your unasked question, Dr. Evans, no I have not got in touch with Detective Brady, and I'm not going to, either. Maybe you can help me and maybe you can't, but one thing's for sure: expecting the cops to do anything for me is just a waste of time."

"Oh?" If Dr. Evans was upset, her face didn't show it. "What makes you say that?"

"Because it's true." Marissa blinked back tears. "They asked me the same, painful questions over and over like they expected me to have some different answer, and then they go and arrest the wrong guy. And okay, anyone can make a mistake, even a cop can make a mistake, but they don't listen to the victim when she says in no uncertain terms that this isn't the guy who did this to her? No, the only one who made a mistake was me… and that mistake was in thinking that Detective Brady gives a damn about getting this guy. All the cops care about is getting someone, anyone, so they can rest easy and say that we're all safe when we're not, when this guy is still out there…" Marissa suddenly felt like she was talking too much, revealing too much. She cut herself off abruptly. Her eyes refused to stop burning no matter how many times she blinked and she found herself wiping them with the back of her sleeve as if she were three years old again.

"I see." Marlena made a note on her pad. "You know, Marissa, refusing to engage with the detectives on your case can make you feel in control again, in a way you haven't since your attack. But consider this: your very refusal, your choice to do nothing to help put the perpetrator of the attack behind bars, may in the long run cause you to feel even less power in this situation. So why don't we begin by talking about the real source of your feelings of powerlessness? Tell me what you experienced during your attack."

As Hope was walking into the police station, a young man came running in behind her. "You're that detective that's related to JJ, right?"

Hope turned. She put her purse behind her desk and said, "I'm Detective Hope Brady, if that's what you're asking. Why?"

"Yeah. Detective Hope Brady. Yeah. JJ said that was your name once. I'm Kurt, um, Kurt Adams."

Hope gave Kurt a puzzled look. "How can I help you?"

"My little brother is missing," Kurt said, talking very fast. "The other night, um, I was kind of not at my best, and he didn't come home. And I told JJ yesterday, I told him, tell Rory to call me, right? And he said okay, but still I never heard from Rory so I figured, I figured I'd have to overcome my fear of this place-cause I don't like cop shops, I have to tell you, they're not my favorite place… anyway, I figured I should fill out one of those missing person reports or whatever."

"I can save you the trouble," Hope said. "I know where your brother is."

"You do? That's great." Kurt grinned. "So um, Detective Brady, um, where is he?"

"Your brother's in the courthouse," Hope said, "waiting to be arraigned on drug charges."

Kurt looked upset for a second, but then he laughed and said, "Great! He's not missing! Thanks Detective!" He ran out of the police station.

Hope sat down at her desk, shaking her head. _What is going on in Rory's home life? _she thought.

Eve had barely got out of the shower and gotten dressed when someone pounded on the door. _Who in the world? _she thought, going to answer it. _Paige said she was having breakfast with that friend of hers first, and anyway she has a key. _She opened the door to find Jill standing there.

Jill pushed past her, coming in without being invited. "I'm tired of playing games," she said. "You didn't even give me enough for one night at the Salem Inn. I had to stay in the park last night. Do you know how creepy that place is after dark?"

"My heart just bleeds for you, it really does, but I told you that the room isn't available until the end of the week. Now get out!"

"I don't think so."

"Now come on, Jill. You don't want me to have to call the cops to come get you after all we've been through, now do you?"

"You're going to call the cops on me? When I'm pregnant and I have no place to stay?"

"I don't want to, believe me I don't, but if I have to, I will."

"Good." Jill plopped down on the couch. "I'd love to tell them all about what you hired me to do...here I am, a poor girl desperate to get off the streets and you pay me a lot of money to drug your daughter's boyfriend. Is Paige coming over today, by the way?"

Eve glared at Jill. "What do you want?"

"I'm not waiting til the end of the week to move in. I'm staying here from now on. Your precious daughter will just have to deal with it."

Eve's eyes widened. She picked up her phone and started to disappear into the other room. "Hey!" Jill said. "What are you doing?"

"Calling your bluff." Eve went into the bedroom, leaving the door open just a crack so she could see Jill sweat. She dialed a number, lowering her voice. "Eric? This is Eve Larson. I am so sorry to have to bother you, but I couldn't think of a better person to call to help a poor homeless girl who just crossed my path. I'll explain more in person… now I hate to ask this, but is there any way you could head over this way right away?"

When Daniel rushed into the room, Parker was sitting up in bed, smiling and playing with the toy Elizabeth Harper had given him. He turned towards Chloe, trying to catch his breath. "From your message… I thought…"

"Yeah," Chloe said. "So did I. I thought I heard his monitor going crazy, but I… I guess I was hearing things."

"Wait...where were you?"

"I had to take a call."

"You had to take a call." Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Our son… our son, Chloe, he's… you told me to go home and then you, you walked out of the room to take a call."

"I didn't leave him alone. Maxine was here."

"Maxine. She has… she has been a wonderful friend to me, and to Parker and I guess to you… but she… she is not his family, Chloe."

"Really?" Chloe's eyes widened. "So it's okay for you to leave him with Jennifer while you go do God knows what, but if I need a minute, that makes me a horrible mother?"

"He knows her. God, Chloe, I cannot believe I have to explain this to you."

"You weren't here!" Chloe blinked back tears. "They wanted him to do another x-ray, and he was freaking out, and I couldn't… what was I supposed to do, Daniel? I was here by myself with him and yes I stepped out for a second, but don't you dare come waltzing in here after the fact judging me!"

"You're right. I wasn't here. Cause you told me not to be."

"I told you to go home and get some sleep. I figured you'd be back first thing in the morning, that you'd want to be back. My mistake. I should have realized, everyone in the world is worth being saved by Daniel Jonas except his own son!"

Parker began to cry. "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy."

"Now look what you did," Chloe said. She turned towards the bed. At the same time Kayla came in.

"Hey!" Kayla said. "What is wrong with the two of you? Parker doesn't need this kind of drama, and neither does the rest of the ICU." She glared at both of them. "I understand that right now this is a stressful time for everybody, but this is not acceptable. Don't make me treat you like children and assign times for each of you to be in this room with Parker...alone." She glared at both Daniel and Chloe.

Chloe had her back to everybody. She was sitting by the bed, singing quietly to Parker and trying not to let tears seep into her voice. Daniel's arms were still crossed but he said, "You're right, Kayla. Chloe, uh, I'm sorry I jumped down your throat. I kinda panicked when I got your call."

Chloe kissed the top of Parker's head. "It's okay, sweetheart. Daddy and I aren't fighting anymore." She turned towards Daniel, her eyes wet, and said, icily, "Yeah. You did."

"Chloe," Kayla said softly, "I know you want more support, but do you mind if I borrow Daniel for a minute?" Chloe nodded. Kayla gestured to Daniel to follow her out of the room.

Judge Walston took the case file and said slowly, reading aloud, "Rory James Adams, one count of possession of less than 2.5 grams of marijuana." He looked at Aiden and the DA over his glasses. "Dare I presume that the two of you are going to come to an agreement on this one?"

The DA glanced at Aiden, who shook his head slightly and said, "Unfortunately, we were not able to do that as of yet, your Honor."

"Well, try harder. I don't want to waste too much of the court's time with this. But in the meantime, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty, your Honor."

"Bail?"

"Own recognisance, your Honor," Aiden said. The judge nodded but the DA said, "Your Honor, with all due respect…"

"Please tell me you have a good argument for keeping this defendant in custody prior to trial."

"I know this particular offense doesn't seem like it's very important," the DA said, "but it's a question of frequency rather than degree. His arrest record would kill quite a few trees to print out. In and out of juvenile detention from the age of 13, drug dealing, assault, vandalism, theft… and that's only what he's been caught doing. Your Honor, his own mother had to call the police on him several times because she was afraid of him, and he no longer resides with her as a result of that fear. Not to mention, your Honor, that these drugs were found on him during a routine search after an arrest on suspicion of multiple counts of armed robbery."

"Counts that you couldn't make stick," Aiden argued, "and therefore are not relevant. Your Honor, what does any of this have to do with whether or not my client is a flight risk? He's a student at Salem University who has already missed two days of classes due to his arrest, and to keep him in jail awaiting trial seems needlessly punitive. It seems to me that the district attorney is determined to go around your authority over sentencing and put my client in jail regardless of whether the court ultimately plans to limit his freedom."

The DA crossed her arms. "Your Honor," she said, "are you really going to allow this attorney-and I use the word lightly-to sling accusations around your courtroom like that?"

"I know what I won't do. I won't have this descend into a circus. Both of you be quiet and listen to my decision."

"No." Marissa's voice was almost a whisper. She pressed her arms tightly against her chest. "I spend way too much time going over it again and again. Whenever I close my eyes, I see it." Her eyes darted to the floor, than back to Marlena. "All I really need is a good night's sleep, just one, so I can think clearly again. I was hoping maybe you could prescribe some sleeping pills."

"Getting sleep will help, but one night's sleep won't cure it. I think you're looking for something easy. Take this pill and it all goes away. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. When something as traumatic as what happened to you occurs, the only cure is time. Time and talking. The more you talk about your attack, the easier it will be for you to heal."

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" Marissa got up. "This isn't going to work. I'm sorry, Dr. Evans, to have wasted your time."

"Tell you what." Marlena put her pen down. "Let's at least finish the session. If you don't want to talk about what happened to you, perhaps talking about something else will be helpful for you." Marlena gestured towards the chair. "For example, let's talk about what's causing you to have so much difficulty sleeping."

"First things first," Kayla told Daniel in her office. "As Chief of Staff, I have the authority to reduce patient loads as needed. I'm sorry, Daniel, but until we start seeing some movement in Parker's condition, I'm taking you off the surgical roster."

"With all due respect, Kayla, this… this is not necessary."

"I disagree." Kayla put her pen down.

"I'm an excellent surgeon." Daniel turned his back to Kayla. "And right now - "

"Nobody is arguing with that. But you know as well as I do that no matter how good a doctor is, he can't do his best for the patients if he's distracted. You're not going to be able to turn it all off and give your full attention to the patients on your operating table while your son is lying in the ICU with a potentially life-threatening condition. I couldn't, if it was Joey. Dr. Chung couldn't, if it was Peter lying in that hospital bed. No doctor can, Daniel. Not even you."

Daniel bit his lip, trying to get his words together. "Not only, Kayla, not only do my patients need me, but I need this. On a selfish level, I… I need that distraction, Kayla. I cannot just sit in that room thinking about Parker, thinking about what's going on with him and what might happen. You say I can't turn it off to assist my patients but Kayla, turning it off completely is how I am surviving this. If I can't operate, if I can't do my job, I don't know how I'm going to function."

"I see," Kayla said, giving Daniel a puzzled look. "Don't you want to spend more of your time with Parker?"

"Of course I do. Every minute I'm away from him, it kills me."

"You can't have it both ways, you know." Kayla's voice was soft, sympathetic. "You can't be in his room 24 hours a day and at the same time perform complicated, lengthy surgeries. And really, Daniel, nobody is going to fault you for taking time off when your son is this seriously ill."

"What are you trying to say?"

Kayla sighed. "As the chief of staff in this hospital, I have to do what's best for the patients. And as your friend, I also have to tell you I'm concerned about you. I don't think you can be there for either your patients or Parker the way you need to be right now. You're frazzled, you're stressed out, and that's affecting everybody negatively. So as of today, I'm giving you some time off so that you can just be there for your son. And in the meantime, I also strongly urge you not to try to handle this on your own." Daniel stiffened and she said, "I'm not going to push Elizabeth's services on you. But if you don't want to talk to another professional, at least lean on your friends and family. You're right, you can't be in Parker's room all the time. Neither can Chloe; that's why she stepped out. But when you need a break, don't go see patients. Go home and relax. Spend time with Nicole… Brady… Eric… Maggie… all the people whose lives you've touched and who are waiting in the wings to be there for you the same way you're always there for them."

Daniel was quiet, thinking. It suddenly popped into his head that he had promised Jennifer a continuation of a conversation about JJ. He didn't think he had the energy for her right now though, or for anybody. He'd slept fine despite worrying that he had somehow led Nicole on, let her think that they could ever be more than friends, but now a tidal wave of weariness hit him and he sank down into a chair, unsure whether they were done or whether Kayla was still talking.

Marissa sank into the chair. "I'm so tired, Dr Evans," she said. She held on tight to the arms of the chair while she tried to put her words together. "Every night's the same. I'm exhausted, so exhausted my… my bones hurt, and I think, I have to sleep tonight. And then I lie in bed and I close my eyes and… and I see things I don't want to remember."

"Memories of your attack?"

"I guess. Sometimes it's like… like a movie in my head. Other times it's just… a shadow moving on the wall that I think is something else… or a voice in my head asking me if I'm sure I locked the door, am I sure nobody's in the room. It goes on all night and then morning comes and I think, I must have slept, that couldn't have been going on all night. But I'm tired, so tired, and coffee doesn't help and a shower doesn't help and nothing helps." Marissa's eyes burned, this time from exhaustion. She blinked and said, "So you see, that's why I need sleeping pills."

"I'll prescribe them," Marlena agreed, "on one condition."

"What?"

"I want you to make another appointment with me. Your insomnia as well as your mood swings and your panic attacks are all symptoms of your mind and body trying to make sense of what has happened to you. As we discussed earlier, that's not something that can be cured in just one session. For now, I'd like to see you twice a week. If you will agree to that, I will try you on mirtazapine and see if that helps relieve your symptoms enough to allow you to sleep."

"That sounds like blackmail," Marissa objected, but she was too exhausted to be forceful about it.

"That's one way to look at it. Another is that I'm trying to be as conscientious about your care as possible. Even if I weren't a believer in therapy as an adjunct to medication, I'd still need to see you to monitor how the medication is affecting you and make sure you're on the right dose. Now you should know," Marlena said, picking up her prescription pad, "that this isn't a sleeping pill, strictly speaking. It's an antidepressant, and it may take some time to start working. But I think you will find that soon enough you'll be able to regulate your sleep and some of your other symptoms. In the meantime, our work together will certainly help you get the control over your life that you want. So all that's left is for you to agree to our next appointment."

Marissa nodded.

"Both the DA and the defense attorney make a point," Judge Walston said. Just then, the courtroom door opened again. JJ turned, along with most of the courtroom, as Kurt ran into the room, allowing the door to slam closed behind him. JJ tried to catch his eye, but Kurt looked the other way, maybe on purpose.

The judge banged his gavel. "I will have it quiet in here. Young man, I don't know who you are, but I expect your presence at these proceedings to be more respectful than your entrance. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes your… your Honor." Kurt seemed to be slurring his words a little.

"Good. Now, as I was saying… both sides have a point when it comes to the bail in this case. I am not pleased that this case is even going to trial. Mr. Adams-"Judge Walston gave Rory a pointed look-"if the police mistakenly arrested you for a serious crime, perhaps you should take a good, long look in the mirror to figure out why they would think such a thing. In any event, it is illegal to possess even small amounts of marijuana, and the fact that the drugs were found during an arrest you or your attorney plans to object to is irrelevant. Now, you have the right to claim innocence and to put on a show to try to convince a jury-and perhaps myself-that there is some reason we should all overlook the letter of the law, but I hope you choose instead to simply take responsibility for having broken it, and that the DA's office in response exercises leniency."

Judge Walston gave the DA an equally pointed look. JJ, feeling like he was the next to be on the receiving end of the judge's annoyance, made an effort to get rid of the scowl he could feel creeping onto his face.

"Now," Judge Walston went on, "regarding the bail itself. It is true enough that this defendant has a lengthy arrest record, but that is neither here nor there as far as this case goes. Despite the fact that he was initially accused of a serious, violent crime, the defendant cooperated fully with the police during his arrest, demonstrating that he respects the authority and seriousness of these proceedings, even if he does not appear to respect much else. As Mr. Jennings points out, the defendant is a full time student, and it seems to me that to keep him in custody is to deny him the only chance he has for a future outside of a jail cell. At the same time, I would be remiss if I didn't take into consideration his full history. Ms. Rubin has a point as well-it is more than probable, given this history, that the defendant simply has not been caught for a more major offense than the one he committed, and part of the reason for keeping defendants in custody is to intervene with their tendency to wreak havoc in our community. Thus, for the defendant's sake, the sake of all of Salem and most importantly for the sake of my own conscience, I am splitting the difference. Bail is set at $500, and trial is set for the first of December. The defendant will remain in lockup until such time as bail is paid in full."

Rory looked around the courtroom as the judge's gavel came down. _He doesn't have $500, _JJ realized. He racked his brains trying to figure out what to do. Maybe he could take up a collection or something.

As the guards began to escort Rory back to his cell and what few spectators there were emptied out, Kurt said, loudly, "Excuse me, your Honor!" The judge turned slightly, his lips pinched together. Kurt said, fishing some bills out of his wallet, "I just got paid, I have the $500. Do I give it to you or something?"

"See the clerk," Judge Walston told him, "and if I were you, I would try to at least appear sober so that he can accept your payment."

"So," Jill said, rolling her eyes as Eve came back into the living room, "are the cops on their way?"

"You bet they are," Eve said, "and it seems that they're really cracking down on girls like you, trying to clean up the streets. You know, with all this crime going on over at the school they're doubly concerned about making sure all the parents think Salem is a safe little town for their sons and daughters to move to."

"Good." Jill leaned back. "Let them hear all about how you've been harassing the poor pregnant lady, not to mention how you blackmailed me into helping you protect little Paigey from her big bad boyfriend."

Eve scoffed. "Like they'd listen to you. As far as they're concerned, I'm a good citizen who tried to save a prostitute from life on the streets, and I feel so terrible about the way you paid me back."

"I thought I heard that boy got a blood test," Jill commented nonchalantly, "and it showed drugs in his system. I wonder who he got them from?"

"Why in the world would I drug him? My whole problem with him was that he was all about drugs, drugs, drugs, and I didn't want my daughter exposed to that lifestyle. He probably took them his own damn self."

"Just wait til they find out that you told me to, that you warned me if I didn't drug him and make out with him you'd go straight to the cops. That makes none of what happened my fault and all of it yours." Eve paled and Jill went on, "I can't wait to see the look on your daughter's face when she finds out her mommy's in jail for extortion, drugging… maybe sexual assault too, I had to pull JJ's clothes off while he was out cold just to get the picture you wanted. I bet she runs straight into his arms once I give her the news."

"Paige won't believe you," Eve said. "She knows I love her. She knows I'd never do anything to hurt her."

"Mmm hmm." Jill rubbed her belly. "Just like I love this little one growing inside me. I'm going to need a nice, warm place to stay, with winter coming and all, plus I'm eating for two, so I'll need some help with food." She glanced up at Eve. "You didn't call any cops, so let's stop playing this game. Who's on the way over?"

After Kurt paid the clerk, the guards took the handcuffs off Rory. "I'm free, right?" he said to Aiden, who nodded. "Thanks, man." Rory grinned.

"Guess your friend got off easy after all," Jeff said to JJ. "How the hell did someone like him get a slick lawyer like Aiden Jennings?"

JJ shrugged. "Maybe he has good luck."

"Or good friends." Jeff shot JJ an angry look.

"Dude, what are you so hyped up about?" JJ asked. "The judge wasn't exactly happy with him. So someone stood up for him, so what?"

"He attacked me!" Jeff said. "He should be rotting in jail until his trial, but they don't even press charges on the robbery. I'm telling you for your own good, JJ, you should stay away from that guy. He's violent. Just ask your new friend Marissa what he does to people."

JJ crossed his arms. "How do you know anything about Marissa?"

"I saw you guys talking in the square on the way over. If you're hoping to score with her, good for you. She should be pretty easy to win over, since she's pretty fragile after what happened to her."

"JJ!" Rory called from the back of the courtroom. JJ turned for a second; when he turned back, Jeff was gone. JJ sighed as he went over to Rory and Kurt.

"Congrats, dude," JJ said. He nodded at Kurt. "Thanks for coming through for him."

Kurt laughed. "Like I'm ever not there for my bro."

JJ bit his lip. Rory said, "Dude, listen, we're gonna go celebrate. Don't flip out, you don't have to do any pot or anything, but you should be there." It only half registered; JJ, looking over Rory's shoulder, saw Jeff slide out of the courtroom.

He was supposed to go check in with Nicole, but if he followed the guy, she wouldn't fault him for being late. "I'm sorry, man," he said. "I gotta run, but how about we catch up later?"

Rory scowled. "Come on, man, stop having a fit of conscience. You'd think you're the one locked up, the way you act sometimes."

"It's not that, dude. It's just I gotta meet someone. "

Rory's eyes widened. "Oh… it's that new girl, right? Listen, if you wanna swing by with her, we're gonna hang in the park. She's totally welcome."

Just then, Aiden came up behind them. "Before you disappear, I need to confer with you for a minute. There's the matter of the actual trial, assuming I don't get through that DA's thick skull that you deserve a deal, but even more important… while it's fresh on your mind, let's talk payment."

"I told you," Rory said, "I'm not exactly swimming in cash like JJ is. My brother just paid most of his paycheck to cut me loose."

"I'm not talking about money. There are other ways to work this out," Aiden told him. "Would you mind crossing the street to my office for just five minutes?" He turned towards JJ. "We won't be long. I promise."

"We'll wait," Kurt said, laughing again. "It's not like we have anywhere else to go today."

Rory headed out with Aiden. "I really gotta run," JJ said. "Tell Rory I'll be by later."

"We'll save you a joint," Kurt called as JJ hurried out. JJ turned, started to say something, then decided it wasn't worth it and ran down the courthouse steps.

The street was practically empty by the time he got outside. _Jeff couldn't have got too far, _JJ thought, but he didn't see him anywhere. He headed in the direction of the square since you pretty much had to go through it to get anywhere.

Hope was in her office, looking over all the victim statements again while she waited for Rafe to come back from his meeting with the campus security officer. "Okay," she said to herself. "Think, Brady, what do we know?" She turned the page and read another statement. "The guy attacks from behind. In all three cases in the dorms, he slipped inside the room while the victim was opening the door, and in the woods he grabbed Rory while his back was turned. So, okay… his crimes are crimes of opportunity, yet they seem methodical, planned out. So the question is, are these victims random, and if not, how he is he finding them?"

She flipped a page, remembering the interviews she'd had with the victims. _I'd just come from my Economics class, one said. It was right after Classic Lit, another had told her. I went back to my dorm to study after Creative Nonfiction, another had said_.

Hope's eyes widened and she turned towards her computer. "Class lists… why didn't we think of this before? Maybe he's in classes with these victims so he knows their schedules, their habits, who seems like a good target…" She picked up the phone and started to dial a number.

Just then, Marlena knocked on the door. Hope put the phone down. "Marlena."

"I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"No, not at all. I was just having a good old fashioned conversation with myself about this case."

"Sometimes those are the most productive conversations." Marlena smiled. "I had a few minutes, so I thought I'd come by and update you in person about the strategies we discussed yesterday."

"Of course." Hope gestured towards the empty chair across from her desk.

Marlena closed the door as she sat down. "I've met with all three victims," she said. "They're all handling what happened to them differently, of course, and they've all been significantly affected. I think cognitive re-enactment is a better idea than hypnosis, given all of their mental states right now. I'd like to oversee the process just in case it brings up unexpected feelings for anybody."

"By anybody I assume you mean Marissa Hunter."

"I'm not at liberty to comment, but I'm curious-why are you concerned about her in particular?"

"No reason," Hope said, deliberately flipping through papers on her desk as she answered. "Well, no real reason, anyway. She was our first victim, and from the beginning I guess I've felt this connection with her. The more I try to question her, though, the more belligerent she becomes. The other two aren't any happier about having to deal with this over and over, but they're willing. Marissa isn't even taking my calls at this point."

"I see," Marlena said. "I do think gaining her trust may be difficult, but once she understands that this is the best way to catch the person who did this to her, I'm sure she'll get on board." She stood. "I have to get going, but do you have any questions for me?"

"Actually," Hope said, "I wanted to ask you about something else."

"Of course."

Hope took her glasses off. "How well do you know JJ Deveraux?"

"Your cousin's son? I know more about his story than I do about him, I'm afraid. Why?"

"It probably isn't my place to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway. JJ's been kind of...lost, and I don't think Jennifer knows how to handle it. He's not the only one, either. I keep running across kids who are on the wrong path or about to be, especially with this case. I was wondering, do you know of any after school programs, like maybe at the community center, any places where the kids can go if they need someone to talk to or something to do?"

"Well, as you know, nothing is going to change for JJ or any other young person unless they want it to change. But I'll get a list of resources together for you and you can pass it on to Jennifer or any other parent who's worried." Marlena's phone beeped. She checked it, saying, "My next patient is on the way, so I'd better get back to my office. Call me when you're ready to do the cognitive re-enactments."

Daphne and Paige were too late for breakfast in the cafeteria by the time Paige was ready, so instead they went to the student center and bought food at the food court.

"So how was your first night of freedom?" Daphne asked Paige as she put hot sauce on her breakfast burrito.

Paige shrugged as she took a spoonful of oatmeal. "I had a hard time falling asleep. There were all these weird noises and stuff."

"Yeah, it takes a little getting used to. The walls are so thin you can hear everything that's going on everywhere." Paige sighed and Daphne said, "Paige, it wasn't anyone breaking in to anyone's room. I swear. The campus is safer than ever."

"I know that."

"Well, then why aren't you smiling? You did it. You got away from your mom, got your own space...this is awesome, Paige!"

Paige stirred sugar into her oatmeal. "I'm not quite away from my mom yet. I still have to go pick up the rest of my stuff this afternoon." Daphne started to say something and Paige said, "Don't worry, she's not talking me into moving back."

"I know," Daphne said. "I still don't see why you have to do that right now, though. I mean, you just got here. Can't you have a few days to get used to your new surroundings before you rush off to get your things?"

Jeff walked into the student center, his laptop under his arm, his eyes blazing. He was not pleased with the Rory situation-it meant his effort to pay Rory back for beating him wasn't working, and for all he knew the cops were looking at him now. Well, he knew how to handle that, he thought grimly, heading for an empty table.

He didn't notice JJ following a little behind him, though he felt like something was wrong. He looked around the room. Paige Larson was sitting at another table with that girl she was always hanging out with. What was up with the two of them? he wondered. Paige was never alone, like she knew Jeff was around and wasn't taking any chances. _Oh for God's sake, _he told himself, _she dated JJ Deveraux, she can't possibly be that picky._

He headed for Paige's table. JJ ducked into the corner so he could watch what was going on. JJ's phone buzzed. It was Marissa-she must have got his number off the Salem Social site. Her message read simply, "I'm at the student center. Hope to see you soon."

"Look," Paige said to Daphne, "I know what you think, but my mom is still my mom, and she needs me. It's going to take some time for her to adjust to me being gone. Ever since I can remember, it's been just the two of us, except when I was a baby and we lived with my grandparents. It's not fair to expect her to just get used to me being gone all at once."

"What would she have done if you'd gone to Stanford? Moved to California just so she shouldn't be alone?"

"Daphne - "

"I thought I recognized you," a voice said behind them. Paige turned to see that reporter guy she'd met last night. "Paige, right?"

"I don't remember giving you my name." Paige's eyes narrowed.

"We were in class together, remember? We talked about that last night, when your friend here was in the bathroom."

"What do you want?" Daphne said. "We're having a private conversation-nothing newsworthy here."

Jeff laughed. "I don't work 24 hours a day, you know. Actually, I'm working on something much more interesting than whatever you ladies were gossiping about. I was at the bail hearing for that Rory kid this morning. Can you believe they didn't even charge him with robbing me? All he's getting is some dumb charge for having a baggie of weed in his pocket. The judge was pretty pissed off too."

"That's weird," Paige said. "Why would they do that? I mean, you'd think they'd wait til they had an iron clad case on the robbery."

"Probably because - " Daphne began, but Jeff raised his voice slightly to drown her out. "No clue," he said. "But no worries, either. Being the intrepid journalist I am, I'm in a unique position to write about it. Maybe that'll help the cops get their heads out of their asses." Jeff smiled.

"Better go write it then," Daphne said sharply.

"Yep." Jeff adjusted his laptop in his arm. "I'll be right over there working. Maybe you'll want to read it when I'm done, Paige? I heard you were super smart."

"She has plans," Daphne said, "don't you, Paige?"

"Well, yeah, but if it's not too long I could probably look it over."

Jeff gave her another smile before walking off.

Rafe had taken Roman along with him to meet Pete, the head of campus security, in Pete's office. "I think we can all agree," Roman was saying now, "that we want to put an end to this guy's reign of terror. That way, we can get out of your way and your students can get on with their studies as normal."

"I do agree," Pete said. "I'm just not sure about this plan. It sounds dangerous-which I know is your place to worry about, not mine, since it's your people who will be doing this-and also, don't you think this will end up drawing more attention to the school? I mean, I know it's all for show or whatever, but whatever person you stick in there as bait will be the fifth student attacked. If the press gets wind of this, it could ruin Salem U's reputation for safety."

"Everyone in the department understands that they aren't supposed to talk to the press about this case," Roman said.

"Be that as it may, sooner or later someone will go rogue, and then what?"

"With all due respect," Rafe said, "until we catch this guy, Salem University isn't safe. That's just a fact. So let's do this and restore your school's reputation. In the meantime, we will keep this as quiet as we possibly can… but with cops crawling all over the premises and rumors flying around, we can't make any guarantees."

"All right," Pete said. "Explain to me again exactly how this is going to work."

JJ waited until he was sure Jeff was too busy to notice him before approaching Paige's table. "Hey, Paige, I know we've been trying to steer clear of each other but - "

Paige's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, JJ?"

"Look, that guy Jeff you were just talking to… he's bad news. He - "

"Oh my God. You are so transparent." Paige rolled her eyes. "I know you're jealous that I've moved on, but guess what? You don't have any say over who I talk to or who's in my life. We're broken up. And I'm not the one who got so wasted I don't remember cheating on you with some random guy."

"If you're talking about Jill, I'm telling you for the last time, I never touched her! You really aren't as smart as you think you are, are you Paige?"

"At least I'm smart enough not to get into a situation where I'm bringing a life into the world while trying to deny that I was ever with the parent of my child."

"What?"

"Don't try to deny it, JJ. Even you can't be that ridiculous. I saw Jill, okay? And she's pregnant-very pregnant, like about to pop out a baby pregnant. So your excuses about how someone drugged you or you picked up the wrong drink or whatever the story is today… they don't matter anymore."

"You obviously didn't talk to her, or you would know that whoever her baby's daddy is, it isn't me. Where did you even see her, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter. The point is, you're not even man enough to take responsibility for your accidental child, but you dare tell me who to spend my time with?"

Daphne put her hand on Paige's wrist. "Paige - "

Paige pulled away. She glared at JJ; the fire in her eyes made his heart beat a little faster and made something happen down there that he really didn't want happening. "Damn it, Paige," he said, "if you don't get by now that you've got it all wrong, you never will. "

"Get away from me!" Paige said.

Just then Marissa called from a few tables down, "JJ! Over here!"

"Yeah," Paige said, making a face, "go over there to your new girlfriend and leave me alone!"

JJ's eyes flashed. "Don't forget who tried to warn you when this all blows up in your face." He stomped off towards Marissa's table. As soon as he was gone, Paige turned towards Daphne, her eyes wide with hurt. She put her head down on the table so that Daphne wouldn't see her cry.

Aiden gestured towards the extra chair in his office as he unlocked the door and turned on the lights. Rory looked around as he came in.

"Nice digs, I know," Aiden said, coming in. He closed the door. "Have a seat."

Rory, pulling out the chair, said, "Dude, I told JJ not to go hiring any fancy lawyer that I couldn't pay for."

"Relax," Aiden said. "I understood that going in. The bail hearing's on me, anyway, so don't worry about that. But now that you've seen my ultra fancy lawyer skills at work, if you want me to represent you going forward, we'll need to work something out."

Rory slumped down in the seat. "I guess I could try to pick up some work at that store my brother works at, but they barely want one of him, so they're probably not gonna go for two. Look, man, I appreciate what you did for me already, but it's not like I have any money coming in. I don't like owing anyone anything, not weed, not money, so I guess I'll just take my chances."

"I don't think you're listening," Aiden told him. "I'm not talking about money. Do you think you're the first client I've ever had who couldn't pay my full rate? I'm going to offer you a special discount."

"Like, what's the price tag? Cause I still got that $5 that robber tried to take off me."

Aiden smiled. "How does zero sound?"

"What's the catch?"

"The catch is this. Instead of paying me in money, you and I, my friend, are going to trade services."

Rory looked puzzled. "I don't have anything I can give you. Unless you want me to hook you up with some weed. I always have access to the best in the state."

"No," Aiden said, laughing slightly. "I was thinking more along the lines of you coming in a couple times a week to, I don't know, empty the trash, straighten up my desk, leave the place better than you found it. You do that for the next six months and we call it even."

"I get it," Rory said. "Like that community service JJ got stuck with."

"I guess you could say that. So do we have a deal?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"Good. So I'll see you tomorrow evening." Aiden stood. "One thing, though, Rory." He leaned in close to him and said softly, "Do what you want on your own time, but don't come here high or I'll get ya."

Chloe was sitting by Parker's bed, watching him sleep, and practically falling asleep with her. Her phone beeped. She jerked awake and pulled it out to look at it.

It was a text from Philip:

_Does Parker still like trains?_

Chloe couldn't help smiling, though her eyes were tearing up. Her phone beeped again. It was a picture this time of the outside of the Illinois railway museum; Philip had typed, _When he gets better enough to come home, maybe we could take him here. My treat._

Just then, Daniel came back into the room, so Chloe quickly put her phone away in order to keep the peace. If things progressed with Philip, she'd eventually have to tell him, but now wasn't the time.

"How's Parker doing?" Daniel asked.

Chloe shrugged. "He's sleeping for a change. Is it… is it normal for him to sleep this much?"

"I guess," Daniel said. "With all the poking and prodding they do all night long, he probably isn't getting a full night's sleep."

"I guess you're not either."

Daniel shrugged. "Look, Chloe, I'm… I'm sorry I jumped all over you before."

"I know." Chloe sighed. "We get along so well when we're living in different cities. I guess parenting Parker in the same place just isn't for us. I thought after all this time, maybe we could be friends for Parker's sake, but I guess we still need that distance to stop us from tearing each other into pieces."

"Maybe." Daniel sighed. He turned his back to Chloe, thinking. "Or maybe," he said slowly, watching Parker sleep, "maybe we're just two ordinary people dealing with an extraordinary situation. I mean, splitting up holidays and visits, that's a lot easier. This… this kind of illness… it wasn't in the divorced co-parenting manual."

"I guess not." Chloe sighed. "Look, as long as Parker's confined to this hospital room, we're going to have to find a way to parent him together from the same space."

"Yeah. So what do you propose?"

"I don't know. I just think we have to present a unified front."

"A unified front? What is this, a military intervention?"

Chloe laughed. "Well, you know what I mean. I don't think we should fight in front of him. If he's anything like me, he'll eventually try to manipulate our differences to get his own way when he really shouldn't. As it is, right now it terrifies him."

"Yeah. I agree." Daniel turned towards Chloe. "Listen, as long as we're talking diplomatic relations, can you do me a favor? Call Nicole and try to make amends with her. She really didn't mean to intrude."

"I know she didn't. Daniel, Nicole used to be my best friend. We've been emailing back and forth forever, and I'm probably one of the only people who gets why she shredded that evidence and doesn't hate her for it. So if she thinks that little tiff we had the other day is the end of our friendship, she'd better think again."

"I'm sure she knows on some level," Daniel said, "but she's had it rough. People in this town just won't let go of her past, and I admit for a while I forgot how important she was to me cause I was so angry at her. So anyway, she probably figures you're just another person who sees her as Nicole the Super Shredder and just between you and me, that probably cuts her deeper coming from you than from the people who get under her skin about it every day."

Chloe nodded. "You're right. I'll call her. You… you really care about Nicole."

"One of the best friends I've ever had, and I gotta live with the wrong I've done her."

"Just friends?" Chloe asked.

"If you're worried about Parker, believe me, Chloe, I'm very careful about having any type of relationship-including a friendship with a woman-around him. I don't want him to get attached to someone who disappears."

"No, it's not that. I was… I guess I was just curious." Chloe played with her phone, wanting to text Philip back but not wanting to do it in front of Daniel. Daniel gave her a puzzled look but said nothing.

Kayla knocked on Dr. Collins' door. "You wanted to see me?"

"Mmm hmm." Dr. Collins didn't look up from her tablet. "Come over here and look at this." She shut the lights and pressed a button to project the x-ray images onto the wall.

Kayla looked. The x-rays showed Parker's chest; from both angles, his heart looked a little larger than most four-year-olds' hearts did, and there were dark patches in his lung area. "Enlarged heart, fluid in the lungs," Kayla said under her breath. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

"I don't know, what you think it means, but I'm sorry to say that yes, it probably does. The size of the heart plus the backup of fluid suggests to me that this little boy's heart is not pumping hard enough to meet his needs."

"What's his prognosis?" Kayla asked.

"Hard to say. A lot of children with pump failure do well with medication, but eventually, we're probably going to have to replace either his valves or the heart itself." Dr. Collins glanced at Kayla. "You know the parents better than I do… do you think there's any way you could soften the blow ahead of my giving them the news?"

"I'll do my best," Kayla promised. "They're already on edge now that they know that something's going on with his heart, but maybe getting a definitive answer will in some way be a relief to them."

"You always were the eternal optimist," Dr. Collins said. "But thank you. I'll wait for your all-clear before I ask the parents to come in."

Kayla left the room. Dr. Collins looked at the x-rays again, shaking her head sadly, before she turned off the projection.

JJ kicked out his seat and plopped down into it. "Sorry I didn't see you over there," he said, glancing at Marissa. Her eyes looked bigger than usual and were red, as if she had been crying recently. JJ sighed. "Great. You're upset too."

"Not exactly." Marissa pushed her coffee aside. "Not with you, anyway. But I don't really feel like talking about that, okay?"

"Whatever. Look, it wasn't what it looked like, I swear, Marissa. That girl - "

"It's not about her! Aren't you listening?" Marissa crossed her arms. "I just came from therapy, okay, and the last thing I want to do is talk about it and get upset all over again!"

"Oh." JJ glanced down at the table, embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he mumbled. "I… I guess neither of us is at our best right now."

"You can say that again." Marissa sipped her coffee. "Do over?"

"Yeah."

They didn't talk for a second, each of them lost in their own world, breathing deeply, trying to calm down. Then Marissa asked,

Marissa took a deep breath. "At the risk of starting World War 17, who was that girl, anyway?" JJ gave her a weary look and she added, quickly, "I'm not upset about her. I'm just curious cause she just moved in down the hall from me. I almost introduced myself last night but I changed my mind. Guess maybe that's a good thing."

"She's living in your dorm?" Fear shot through JJ. He didn't think Paige could handle it if what happened to Marissa happened to her.

"Yes, I just said that. Why?"

"Cause…" JJ didn't want to worry Marissa with his fears. "Well, the thing is that Paige… she's kind of… my ex-girlfriend."

"Oh." Marissa stared down at the table.

_Here we go, _JJ thought. "What?" he said aloud.

"Nothing. It's just... " Marissa sighed. "It's not like I thought we could ever be… or that you wanted to be… or that I wanted… God I sound like an idiot!" She took a sip of her coffee. "Okay, another do-over. What I'm trying to say is, it makes sense now that you're not all that into us becoming friends or whatever. You're still holding out hope that you'll get Paige back."

"No, Marissa. I swear, it's not like that at all." JJ pushed his water away. "Look, things ended with her really badly, and I - "

"You don't owe me an explanation." Marissa blinked hard. "I don't care that you're still into her, it's really understandable, actually. She's really pretty and… and she probably doesn't have baggage from being tied to her bed or anything. I just wish that instead of trying to avoid me, you'd have just told me that."

"I did," JJ protested. "Don't you remember me saying I just got out of a really bad relationship?"

"I guess." Marissa sighed. "Look, I... I have to go now." She pushed her chair away from the table.

"Hold on!" JJ shouted. People turned and stared at him. Marissa flinched, but she turned around. "This is why I didn't want to get involved with you, or with anyone," JJ said, his voice slightly quieter. "The reason things went bad with me and Paige, it's cause she thought things about me...cause of my past...and I just got so sick of trying to straighten out what she thought was going on. And now you… we don't know each other but you're already doing the exact same thing."

Marissa sank down into her seat again. "I'm not doing anything," she said weakly. "I just see what I see. Look, JJ, I'm not saying I don't want to get to know you or be your friend or anything like that."

"Then what are you saying?"

"Nothing. I don't know."

"Neither do I."

"All I do know is, from the second we met you've been trying to tell me that there's something in your past that makes you no good, and for some reason that made me want to know you more when maybe I should have run away screaming. I don't know why, maybe I should have brought it up to my therapist because it sure as hell doesn't make any sense, especially when so far the only thing you've told me about yourself is that you have a gorgeous ex-girlfriend who I don't think you're over, and that's only because I found out by accident. I want to know you, JJ Deveraux, God help me, no matter how many signals you give off that you're not interested, I can't stop wanting to know you. So even though my brain says I should just take you at your word and walk away from whatever nightmare you're harboring, my heart says differently." Marissa played with the cardboard around her coffee cup. "So please, would you stop telling me how horrible you are and just tell me what the hell your secret is so that I can decide for myself whether or not I'm crazy to want to know you?"

When Roman and Rafe got back from Salem U, Hope stuck her head in Roman's office. "Got a minute?"

Roman nodded. Hope came in, closing the door behind her. "Please tell me you got good news," Roman said.

"Sort of," Hope said. "I have some updates, anyway. First of all, I think I might have figured out the link between the victims." She opened her tablet to show Roman something. "Every one of the victims, except for Rory, said that the attacker followed them into their dorm room after class."

"Yeah, I remember reading that in the reports."

"Right. So maybe Jeff, or whoever the attacker is, goes to class with his victims. While everyone else is focusing on the lecture, he's looking around, seeing who looks tired, who looks like they're not surrounded by a ton of friends."

"Looking for targets, you mean?"

Hope nodded. "Then class ends, the kids who have plans head out to the student center, but one of the ones who doesn't gets followed home."

Roman nodded. "Makes sense. But what about the kid in the woods?"

"He deviated from his standard M.O.," Hope said. "From the way he reacted during the interview, I'd say Jeff has something against Rory. This one wasn't just a crime of opportunity-not that the others necessarily were, either. In this case, it was definitely personal."

Roman thought about it for a minute. "Any ideas how we can proceed?"

"I'll fill Rafe in, for one thing. Then after that… I think we should see if we can get access to the class lists so we can make the connection. Reinterview the victims, ask them about their classmates. Also, I'll mention it to Marlena. If we want to do cognitive reenactment with any of the victims, she's willing to supervise."

"I don't know. That seems like some kind of psychological mumbo-jumbo, but I know firsthand that Marlena knows what she's doing, so I'm willing to give it a shot. My bigger concern is whether the victims are gonna put up with any more questioning. Have you got ahold of that one who seemed to be refusing your calls?

"Marissa Hunter?" Hope shook her head. "I hope she's all right."

"Me too. Tell you what. I'll let Rafe in on our new theory. In the meantime, you go find that girl and try to convince her to cooperate with the re-enactment. Since she was the first victim, there had to be a reason he chose her. So her cooperation is vital."

Nicole sat at her desk, flipping through photos on her phone while she waited to hear from JJ. She ran across some photos of Eric, which she promptly deleted, then found one of her and Daniel and Parker from last Christmas. She remembered helping to zip up Parker's coat before the three of them headed out for hot cocoa soon after she had moved in. _Poor kid,_ she thought. _Maybe I should call Daniel and see if there's any update… but no news is good news, right? Besides, he's probably reconnecting with Chloe right now._

Her mind went automatically to the time last year when she and Daniel had kissed, which of course led her to last night and this morning. She threw the phone down. If there was one thing she'd learned, it was that dwelling on what she couldn't have would just get her into trouble.

"Slow news day?" Sally asked from across the room.

"Isn't it always?"

Miles stuck his head in. "Glad to see both of you are so dedicated to this job. Nicole, where's my intern?"

"He'll be here soon. Right now you're only the second most important person in Salem-he's covering a bail hearing and he'll be here as soon as it's over."

Miles looked at his watch. "Better be soon, or I'll start assuming you're making things up just to stop me from hiring Jeff Adkins." He left.

Nicole sighed as she picked up the phone again. Sally said, "So this new intern… is he a hunk too?"

"He's practically Daniel Jonas' kid!"

"Ah, so that's why you're distracted. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll put in a good word for you with Dr. Jonas even after he sees what you do for a living."

"Ha ha," Nicole said. She stared into the phone, trying to decide whether to call JJ. There was no way she was working with Jeff Adkins, no matter what Miles had to say. _You'd better come through for me, JJ Deveraux, _Nicole thought.

"Okay, look," JJ said to Marissa, "I don't even get why you're so upset. You said yourself you don't know anything about me. What the hell do you see in me that makes you think I'm even worth your time?"

Marissa sighed. "I… I dunno. I guess.. your eyes, maybe?"

"My eyes?"

"T-the first time I met you, I saw so much in those eyes… so much passion, yet so kind… like you were at war with yourself… and for some reason that fascinated me… And then there's your loyalty to your friend… wow, I've never met anyone like that."

JJ shook his head.

"Like I said," Marissa said quietly, "I have eyes. But if I'm wrong about any of that, just tell me."

"You only know what you see in front of you. Paige, she said she wanted my passion too, after she heard me playing the guitar… but it was too much for her to handle, and you know what? I don't blame her. Marissa, I've done things I'm going to regret my whole life… you just don't know the whole story."

"Then tell me! Don't you get it? I want… no, I need to know your darkness. I know it's scary and it's weird but I have to… I have to know. Please."

"Okay." JJ took a deep breath. "I'll tell you everything, Marissa, I swear. But just promise me, you'll listen to it all before you decide about me."

Marissa nodded.

"Okay." JJ drank some more water. "Wow, this is harder than I thought it would be. I don't know where to begin."

"Well," Marissa said slowly, "you can start with the answer to my question from the other day. Do you smoke weed too?"

JJ looked down at the table, then back up at Marissa. "Not anymore." Marissa nodded and JJ asked, "Does that bother you?"

"Nah. I mean, that was never my thing, but if it did something for you, more power to you. Go on."

"It was stupid, and I never want to touch it again. When I was stoned, it was like nothing mattered, like everything that happened to me was just...okay. And I did a lot of stupid stuff when I was on it. Rory too, but it was mostly my idea. I didn't just smoke weed. I, uh… I sold it. And other stuff. And, that's not all. Besides doing drugs, I… I messed with people's stuff, I broke a lot of things that didn't belong to me, stuff that belonged to my mom's boyfriend and his kid, his three year old kid… I broke his train set on purpose."

Marissa's eyes widened and JJ said, quickly, "I swear, Marissa, I was a different person then. I don't do any of that stuff anymore. I know there's nothing I can say that'll make it make sense, but I was really messed up after my dad died." He played with the underside of the table and went on, "You wanted to know about me. Well, now you know."

"No," Marissa said after a long time. "This is just the beginning of knowing." She smiled at him. "If you want to get to know me, too, I can tell you. Ask me anything."

"I… I wouldn't know what to ask."

Marissa sighed. "My life probably isn't as interesting as yours, but - "

Just then, Hope came up behind them. "I'm glad to see you're alive and well," she said to Marissa. Turning towards JJ, she added, "I'm sorry to interrupt, JJ, but I need to borrow your friend for a minute. It's about her case."

Eve scowled, but she made sure to wipe the scowl off her face before she turned back towards Jill. "You're right," she said, projecting as much sweetness as she could stand. "I just didn't have the heart to call the police on you, not without giving you one more chance."

"I knew you'd see it my way," Jill said. "So I can stay?"

"Maybe. I called a friend who works for St. Lukes. He'll be more than happy to get you set up with that shelter the church runs."

"I told you, I don't want to stay in a shelter."

Eve laughed. "You are so much like me that it's just like looking in a mirror. My Paige wasn't planned, you know. But as soon as I found out I was pregnant with her, I understood that it wasn't just about me. There was another little human being in the picture, and I just couldn't keep doing these awful things to myself and not be able to provide a life for her. Now you may not want to stay in a shelter, but your baby will thank you someday for giving her a better start in life than you would have on the streets. And incidentally, my friend is the kind of priest who doesn't take no for an answer, so you'd better pack your bags."

Jill got up as quickly as she could in her condition. "I have something to do," she said, "but I'll be back later and I'm going to expect a copy of my key." She swung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. "Oh, Eve?"

"What?"

Jill's eyes were steely. "You don't want to mess with me. I don't look like much, but I've been on the streets long enough to know what you have to do to survive." She left, slamming the door behind her.

"So what did that lawyer dude want?" Kurt asked Rory. He and Rory and Bev were sitting perched on the top of a park bench, sharing a joint.

Rory giggled as he took the joint from Kurt. "Can you believe it, man? He's gonna take my case in exchange for me emptying the trash. I'm gonna be a janitor."

"What a loser," Bev said. "Of course he's associated with JJ, so he's bound to be." She took a puff from the joint and held her breath for as long as she could before letting it out. Coughing, she passed the joint back to Kurt and said, "If you ever get arrested again, don't send JJ to tell me."

Rory scowled. He had hoped JJ would be here by now, and he hated that Bev was so anti-JJ these days. "Maybe I should send a real prize like Cole." Kurt laughed at that, but Bev's eyes widened. "Shut up about Cole," she said. "I'm done with him anyway."

"Yeah, right," Rory said, "and JJ's mom's through with Dr. Dan."

"Hey," Kurt said spacily. "Why are you two so mad? This is supposed to be fun." He took another hit off the joint. "You're really… you're really gonna be a janitor?"

"I don't have a choice." Rory giggled. "JJ went and hired me a lawyer behind my back, so I guess I got a job out of it." Bev started to walk off. "Hey!" Rory said. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere where nobody's going to kill my buzz. If I hear JJ's name one more time…"

"It's like Betelgeuse," Kurt said. "Maybe if we say it enough, he'll show up. RAWR!" He jumped at Bev playfully.

"Not funny," Bev said, "but pass me the joint anyway." Her phone buzzed; she pressed the button to silence it, scowling, as she took the joint from Kurt.

Eve was sitting on the couch drinking a glass of wine and worrying about Jill when Eric knocked on the door. She sighed as she went to get the door.

"Thank you for coming over," Eve said. "I'm afraid the girl has up and left, but if you come in I'll tell you the entire story, and maybe there's some way you can help."

"I think I can spare a few minutes." Eric came all the way in. "Are you all right, Eve? You seem flustered."

"It's sweet of you to ask, but I'll be fine. Would you like something to drink?"

"Water, please," Eric said as Eve took out a second wine glass. She pouted but she filled the glass with water from a pitcher that she got out of the fridge. As she handed him the water, he said, "Now, what happened?"

Eve sipped her wine. "A couple months ago I tried to help this poor homeless girl turn around. You know, I went through my rough period where I lived on the streets and I don't want anyone else to suffer the way I suffered, so I thought I was doing a good deed by giving this girl a little bit of money to get back home to her family. Only it completely backfired, Eric, and I mean completely, to the point where I think she might make my life-and Paige's-a complete nightmare."

"Does this have something to do with the danger you said you were worried your daughter was in?"

"In a roundabout way, yes. You see, when Paige decided she wanted to move into the dorms, I put out an ad for a boarder. I wasn't expecting to get any responses until the end of the week-in fact, I was toying with the idea of having you take some photos once Paige emptied her room this afternoon. Anyway, this girl-the one I told you about that I was trying to help-somehow she got wind of the fact that there was an empty room for rent. Now, she's shown up here twice and both times I've tried to kindly direct her towards St. Luke's shelter, but she won't have it. And she's got a baby on the way and everything, and she's convinced her best option is to stay here."

"I see. So you thought maybe I could convince her of what you could not?"

"It was probably dumb, but I panicked, and I didn't know who else to call. I mean, I really don't want to call the police on her, though I will if I have to. You know they won't care about getting her and her baby the help they need; they'll just stick her in a cell for a few days, and then back to the streets."

Eric nodded. "Well, I don't really have any affiliation with St. Luke's anymore, as you know. But I do know a few people who work for the shelter. I'll see if I can get you some information to pass on to this girl the next time she shows up at your door."

Eve's face fell as Eric got up. "Leaving already?"

"I'm afraid I have another appointment. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I owe you a night out." Eric put his hand on the doorknob, then turned back. "I do want to say one more thing. I hope, Eve, that this experience hasn't turned you off from trying to do the right thing. I think it's wonderful that you want to reach out to this young girl, and other girls like her. If you'd like, I can put you in touch with the volunteer coordinator at that shelter-maybe you'd like to reach out to others in similar circumstances."

"I don't know," Eve said, playing up her hesitation to make it look more endearing to Eric. "After what happened with this girl, I'm not sure I'm good for much of anything."

"I can assure you that that's not the case." Eric's phone beeped. "I really do have to run, but let's talk soon."

Eric left. Eve closed the door and threw herself against the wall. _I really must be losing my touch, _she thought. _Either that or all those years in the church has made Eric Brady immune to flirtation._

When they got tired of the park, Rory took Kurt and Bev to Horton Town Square. The people milling around seemed to amuse him. "You know what's great about this square?" he said, laughing. "You can come here every day and never see the same people twice."

Bev giggled. "And if we're lucky there'll be some drama."

"Save the drama, it hurts my head," Kurt said, spacily. "Ooh, the square's spinning." He grabbed onto a wall to balance himself. "Shouldn't it be a circle?"

"Here," Bev said. "Let's sit down and rest a minute." She and Rory helped Kurt onto a bench. "I never knew your brother was such a partier," she said to Rory.

"Yeah," Rory said flatly. "Hey, who's that?"

Bev looked. Cole was coming towards them. He was holding a bouquet of flowers tightly in one fist. She could feel her high shrinking to nothing. "Nobody important," she said, and tried to laugh.

Rory laughed for real. "It's Cole, isn't it? What's he doing with flowers?"

"I dunno. Is there any way we can scram?"

Rory glanced at Kurt, who was leaning back on the bench, staring at something in the sky that only he could see. "Nah, he's out. Don't worry, though. I took that robber when I was more buzzed than this. If he starts anything…"

"Bev!" Cole said. He glanced at Rory and Kurt, his eyes narrowing. "So this is what you've been doing instead of taking my calls. Hanging out with these losers."

"What do you want, Cole?" Bev tried to sound stronger than she felt. Cole glared at her; she swallowed a fit of giggles at how ridiculous he looked.

"Um," Cole said, "I was going to give these to you and apologize for the other day, but if you're going to act like you deserved the way I treated you, forget it."

"Yeah," Rory said, advancing towards Cole. "Forget it, dude."

"I guess you liked that jail cell," Cole told him. "Can't wait to start something so you end up back there, huh?" Rory started to make a fist but Cole went on, "Go ahead and punch me. When the cops come, I'm sure they'll love to bust you for whatever you've got on you." He laughed.

"I'm not a fighting man," Rory told him, "so why don't you go ruin someone else's high?"

"I don't think so." Cole turned towards Bev. "So what's it going to be, Bev? Me, or this loser?" He moved closer to her and said in a low voice, "I'll make up for what happened the other night if you ditch them."

Bev glanced at Rory, then back at Cole. "I-I'd like that," she heard herself say. Her ears were ringing and she was feeling pleasantly buzzed now; why let Rory and Cole ruin it when she could keep the peace just by going with Cole?

"Bev - " Rory said.

"Guess you don't own her like you think," Cole said. He put his arm around Bev. "Come on, baby, let's show them what freedom looks like." He and Bev walked off.

Rory glanced at Kurt, who was still staring at nothing. He elbowed him. Kurt sat up. "What...what's the matter?"

"Way to back me up," Rory said. "Now we've lost Bev to that idiot Cole again, and you can bet that's not the end of trouble with him."

Kurt giggled. "What, do you...do you like her?"

Rory plopped himself down on the bench. "Gimme what's left of that joint," he said. "All this just ruined my high."

JJ glared at Hope. "Why?"

"Remember what we talked about," Hope told him, making him feel like he was about five years old.

JJ crossed his arms. "Fine, but maybe later you can explain why you're getting my mom all riled up."

"I'll be happy to explain why I felt a need to talk to your mom," Hope told him, "when I'm done here."

Marissa touched JJ's arm. "It's all right. We seem meant to have this conversation in pieces, but sooner or later we'll get it all in."

JJ's phone rang. He glanced at the display, then picked it up. "Nicole! Hey, I'm on my way. I've got something for you." He walked off, still talking on the phone.

"Can I sit down?" Hope asked.

Marissa shrugged. "Do I have a choice?"

Hope took her time pulling out her chair. Marissa glared at her. Hope said, "You're angry. I get it. But why?"

"Take a guess," Marissa said. "Look, I didn't ask to be attacked, Detective Brady, but since I was, I'd appreciate it if you'd just do your job and catch the guy who did it. Instead, you're calling me constantly and chasing off my friends so that you can ask me a bunch of useless questions and arrest random people who have nothing to do with what happened."

"Believe me, this isn't fun for me. I am so sorry you were attacked, and I wish there was something I could do besides continue to hound you."

"Yeah, well, it happened."

"Yes. It did, and that wasn't your fault, but your reaction to me is on you. I know that it's stressful for you to continually deal with this investigation when all you want to do is forget what happened. But the more you cooperate, the more likely it is we'll actually catch this guy."

Marissa's eyes widened. "Do you even have a suspect? Besides Rory, I mean?"

"We're not pressing charges against Rory, partially because of your statement." Hope sighed. "And yes, we do have another suspect in mind, but we don't have enough evidence to even make an arrest."

"I don't suppose you can give me a name."

"What good would that do? We can't arrest him right now, and if we do make an arrest, you really might have to view suspects in a lineup. I can't prejudice your responses by giving you extra information."

"I guess that makes sense."

"I'm glad to hear it." Hope smiled slightly. "You know, Marissa, I didn't just come looking for you because I needed your help with this investigation. I was worried about you."

Marissa's face hardened. "Well don't! I keep telling you, you're not my friend, and you're not my mother either." She sipped her coffee as she tried to get back in control of herself. "Just… just ask me your questions and I'll answer them."

"It's not so much questions this time, Marissa, as it is a request."

Marissa crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Hope.

"I'd like you to participate in something called cognitive reenactment."

"What's that?" Marissa asked wearily.

"Basically, we'd act out what happened to you. We'd go to your room and one of the officers will pretend to be your attacker. The idea is that by acting it out, you'll remember something that can be helpful for us." Marissa's eyes widened and Hope said, "I know the idea can be upsetting. Dr. Evans will be there too. She wants to make sure that you-and the other victims as well-are okay throughout the entire process."

"And this is really the only way you can catch the guy who did this to me?"

"Detective Hernandez is looking at putting some undercover officers in the dorms, but honestly, this is our best shot."

"I'll think about it," Marissa said.

"That's all I ask. That and please, from now on, answer the phone when I call." Hope got up. She watched Marissa as she walked away. Marissa took out her phone and played with it, but didn't call anyone.

Sally was showing Nicole some pictures on her phone when JJ walked in. "Um, hey, I'm here," he said, not sure whether or not to interrupt.

"Come on in, JJ." Nicole waved him over. "Sally and I were just killing time til you got here with your big story." JJ gulped and Nicole said, "We're still working on that relaxation thing." She turned to Sally, who put her phone away, and said, "This is JJ, our new intern."

"Nice to meet you," Sally said. "Nicole's been talking you up all morning. That's why I felt a need to distract her with photos of my dog."

"Uh huh," Nicole said. "And here I thought it was my sparkling personality." She and Sally both giggled.

Miles stuck his head in. "If the two of you are finished having a slumber party - " He saw JJ standing there and said, "Oh, hello, I see the intern's finally found his way to the office."

"Sorry," JJ mumbled. "I, uh, I was covering a hearing for Nicole and I didn't realize - "

"From now on all stories go through me," Miles said. "But I'll let Nicole show you the ropes today." He left.

JJ's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, Nicole," he said. "I don't know I had to be here at a specific time. I swear, I won't be late again."

"Don't worry about him. You'll learn pretty quickly to tune Miles out, won't he Sally?"

"Mmm hmm. About half this job is letting what Miles says go in one ear and out the other."

"Anyway, whatcha got for me?" Nicole asked.

"A couple things," JJ said, talking quickly to try to cover up his nerves. "First of all, the judge was something else. He was pissed that this case was even in front of him, and he was like, totally on our side, he didn't even try to hide it." Nicole didn't look particularly interested. JJ bit his lip and went on, "The other thing was, you'll never believe who showed up there."

"Well, don't keep me in suspense! Who?"

"A certain fake intern who you wanted me to track down."

"Whoa, Jeff was there? Pretty brazen. Though on second thought, I'm not surprised. He probably thought he was going to scoop you."

"Yeah, pretty much. I told him you were looking for him, by the way, and he practically wet himself with excitement."

"That's a visual I will never get out of my brain now. He say anything else?"

"Yeah." JJ hesitated, fearing he was wrong, then said slowly, "I think, um… I think he gave away… I think he's the guy the cops are looking for." Nicole's eyes widened and JJ said, "I can't prove it or anything but he was talking up a storm about how Rory attacked him and he was pissed Rory was getting off easy. He didn't know that I already know for a fact that Rory's innocent."

Nicole looked pleased. JJ said, "And there's more. The reason I was late, um… the second the judge let Rory off with $500 bail, Jeff disappeared. So I followed him. He was telling anyone who would listen about how unfair it was. Nicole, he was bothering Paige."

"Your ex, right?" JJ nodded and Nicole said. "Let me guess the rest. You tried to warn her, she told you to stay away from her, and you briefly considered drowning your sorrows in… well, soda I guess… but decided to come to work instead."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Nicole sat down on the edge of the desk. "Take it from someone who's been there, JJ, she's not going to listen to you. In her mind, she's such an amazing person that she can't believe you'd ever move on from her, so anything you do to try to help is just going to make you look like a crazy person in her eyes. I've learned the hard way, sometimes you have to let someone you love go completely, or at least make them think that's what you're doing. Don't worry, the work we're doing here will be enough to save her from herself. But no more conversations about Jeff. It'll just get her talking to him about you, and you don't want to be on his radar."

"I-I don't love her. Not anymore. I just can't let…"

"I'm in a giving mood, so I'll give you another piece of advice for free. Lying to yourself only gets you into trouble."

JJ looked down at the ground for a second, embarrassed. "So, um," he said, recovering, "what's our next step?"

"For right now, we're going to run this story like it was a typical bail hearing. I'll show you how to write it up, and I'll stick it at the end of my broadcast when nobody's paying attention anyway." JJ's face fell and Nicole said, "I know, excitement of the century. But the first thing you need to learn, JJ, is never tip your hand too early. So just go to class, act like you're Jeff's friend, and see what else he tells you about himself."

When Daniel and Chloe got to Kayla's office, they found Elizabeth Harper there. Daniel scowled; he didn't like being tricked. "Where's Kayla?" he demanded. "I thought she had news about Parker."

"Oh, she does," Elizabeth said. "She wanted me to make sure you guys were ready to hear it."

"Well you can tell her," Daniel said slowly, "that we are more than ready. Both of us, we're on pins and needles waiting to hear what the full story is with our son. I've been doing a ton of research and Chloe, she talked to her dad to get additional information. So we don't need a shrink right now-we just need Kayla to cut to the chase and tell us what needs to be done for our son."

"Chloe, you feel the same way?" Elizabeth asked.

Chloe shrugged. "I just can't take any more waiting."

"All right. I'll hang around then, in case anyone needs me afterwards." She pressed a button on the phone. "They're ready for you, Dr. Brady."

Kayla came in, followed by Dr. Collins. Daniel scanned their faces; to most people, they would have just looked like two doctors getting ready to make a diagnosis, but he could tell that it was more bad news. "What's going on?" he asked, uncertainly.

"I don't know how to say this," Kayla said. She glanced at Dr. Collins. "We… we've gone over Parker's xrays, and his echocardiogram… and, well, no matter how we look at it, it's pretty clear."

"That?" Daniel asked impatiently.

"That Parker's heart is not pumping efficiently. The good news is, the heart itself is mainly fine-minimal damage-but it's working overtime to get his blood circulating, and so it's… it's starting to give out."

"So it's what you told us last time, right?" Chloe said. "This isn't anything new?"

"Unfortunately, yeah, this is just additional information. Now we can try him on medication, but…"

"Sooner or later.." Dr. Colins said.

"He's probably going to need some or all of his heart replaced," Kayla finished.

Soon after JJ had gone to class, Nicole heard a commotion in the front of the station. Miles said, "I think Ms. Walker is busy with a story," and Jeff's voice rang out loud and clear in response, "Oh, she'll want to see this. I can guarantee it."

Nicole busied herself with some things on her desk, wishing Sally hadn't gone out. She would have loved to have seen this. Jeff stormed into Nicole's office. "Ms. Walker," he said. "Jeff Adkins, remember me?"

"I think so. Yours was one of the first applications I threw in the trash."

Jeff scowled. "Well, that was a mistake, but I'm sure you'll see that for yourself in a minute. He came over to the desk and tossed a pile of papers on it.

"What's this?" Nicole asked, still not looking up.

"You might not know this, but I was attacked in the course of getting a story for you the other day."

"Such dedication. Is this the story?"

"No, I abandoned it because something better came along. See, the guy who attacked me… he had a bail hearing this morning. And I just knew he was gonna get off easy. So I made a point of being there and taking notes. Sure enough, the judge is biased, maybe even crooked… they didn't even charge the suspect with robbery, and they let him off on some stupid piddling drug charge with only $500 bail."

"Yes, I heard," Nicole said. "Don't look so surprised. I have eyes and ears everywhere."

"So do I. That's why we'll work together so well. So, now that I've taken initiative, can I have my job?"

"Let me think about that. You came in with a large pile of unsolicited garbage, so… I think that's a no."

"Why?" Jeff's eyes blazed and he smacked the table.

Nicole stared at him. "Violence on your own time is one thing-I've gotten into plenty of catfights in my day-but don't bring it into my office."

"Sorry. I just...that threw me off. Why wouldn't you hire me?"

"Well, let's list the reasons. We can start with the fact that you used my name to try to get a story, and not only did it blow up in your face, but it blew up in mine. Thanks to you, what few sources I have at the police station won't talk to me at all. I can't have someone in here who's going to drag what's left of my reputation through the mud and stop me from being able to get the news."

"Oh, come on. Like you've never done anything like that. It was a classic trick, one you should be proud of. If anything, it proves how right I am for this job."

"Okay, fine, your judgment is questionable, not completely nonexistent. But it doesn't matter. You're not getting this job, and in fact, I hired someone else."

"Who?" Nicole shrugged and Jeff advanced towards her. "Who is it who took my job?"

"It wasn't yours to take," Nicole said calmly, "but anyway, I hired someone who can cover hearings objectively, as opposed to this hack job you just gave me. And you can find out who it is at the same time as everyone else-if and when we choose to announce his name on air. Now I'll need you to leave my office."

Jeff crossed his arms, thinking. _JJ had said that Nicole had run into him. JJ was at the bail hearing. JJ had been talking to Marissa-one of Jeff's victims-a lot_. "It was JJ Deveraux, wasn't it? Oh my God, I can't believe you hired that guy over me. He's not even a journalism major, he has no instincts… and he knew I wanted this job… he wouldn't have… he couldn't have…"

"Oh, are you still here?" Nicole reached for the landline. "Miles, can you get me the extension for security?"

"I'm going, I'm going." Jeff glared at Nicole. "But you...and he...the both of you...are going to be very sorry!"

Once they'd gone to Cole's apartment, one thing had led to another, and before Bev knew it, Cole had ripped off her blouse and was sliding his hand down towards her jeans. Bev wasn't sure whether or not she wanted this. Something felt wrong about it. But still, this was better than the last time, when he had held her down in anger, and Bev had learned a long time ago it was better, when it came to Cole, to just go along with it if she didn't happen to be in the mood.

Cole was kissing her hard so she kissed him back equally hard. As he slid down her neck, kissing her over and over, someone pounded on the door. "Damn it," Cole said under his breath. The pounding continued, and a voice Bev thought she recognized from somewhere called, "Cole! Open up man!"

"Stay right here," Cole snapped at Bev. "I'll be rid of this guy in a second." He jumped up, pulled his pants on and ran out of the room.

Bev wrapped the blanket around herself as Cole went into the other room. She heard the front door creak open. "Hey," Cole said, "this isn't a good time, dude. I've got - "

"He took my job," the other person said. "He took my job and his friend got out of jail and the two of them… they're probably laughing right now, probably laughing at how they got one over on me after all…"

Bev dressed quickly and slid to the bedroom door. She opened it a crack and stared out.

The other guy was pacing back and forth. Bev recognized him as the guy from the woods, the one who attacked Rory. She slid back as he glanced at the door so he wouldn't see her.

"Who?" Cole asked.

"JJ Deveraux, of course… who else?" Jeff paced back and forth. "You were right, man, those two losers have to be stopped," the guy said. "They're ruining everything."

"So what do you want me to do?" Cole asked.

Jeff turned towards him. He had a cold, hard look in his eyes that scared Bev worse than Cole at his angriest.

"Another robbery?" Cole asked.

"No." Jeff's voice was eerily flat. "Bigger than that, man. Way bigger. I haven't got the details yet, hope you can help me work them out. But you and me, we're gonna get JJ Deveraux and Rory Adams, for once and for all. And that bitch who works at the station, too… if I can pull it off… but definitely JJ and Rory..."

Bev's mouth dropped open. She leaned against the door by accident; it squeaked.

Jeff flinched. "You're not alone, are you?" he said, advancing on Cole. "Who do you have in there? You didn't set me up did you?"

"No, man, I swear. Look, it's nobody. I mean, nobody important."

"Who is it?" Jeff pulled his knife out of his pocket. The blade gleamed; what little light was in the living room reflected off it. "Who?"

"It's just… just some girl I was gonna score with," Cole stammered.

"Go get her." Jeff held up the knife. Cole shook his head. "Do it, or I will. Unlike you, I'm not afraid to insist on my way."

Bev looked around, quickly, as she backed away from the door. Cole was up on the fifth floor, too high to jump out the window, and there was no other way out besides through the living room.

The door flew open. Cole stormed into the room. "You screwed up, bitch," he said under his breath. "Didn't I tell you to stay out of my business?" He grabbed Bev's arm and twisted it behind her.

"Ouch! Cole, you're hurting me!"

"Shut up. You wanted to be involved so bad, well now you are. Someone wants to meet you." Cole put his hand on her shoulder and pushed Bev towards the living room while holding one arm tightly against her back. Bev struggled, then gave up. She had no choice but to let Cole take her into the living room, where Jeff and his knife were waiting...


	8. Chapter 8

Jeff turned as Cole forced Bev into the living room. "So," he said, "this is the eavesdropper." He paced back and forth, holding his knife. "I can't believe your girl would try to bring us down. Or maybe the two of you planned it together, I don't know. I mean, things started going wrong when you sent that stoner my way."

"Dude!" Cole said. "Come on, man, you know that was a fluke. Besides, didn't you say if I messed up you'd make the cops think I did it? So why would I - "

"Shut up and handle the situation." Jeff tossed Cole some rope. "I wasn't planning on things going this far, but your girl screwed up." Bev's eyes widened but she otherwise refused to show any fear as Jeff advanced towards them, holding the knife in front of him. "If you didn't put her up to it, you'll do exactly what I want you to do about her."

"So what happens now?" Chloe asked.

"Let me show you exactly what's going on," Dr. Collins told her, "so that I can explain how we're going to treat it." She turned on the X-ray projector. "You see these dark spots in his lungs here?" she asked, pointing towards them. "That's blood and fluid."

"Oh God," Chloe said. "My angel has blood in his lungs… what does that mean?"

"It means something's going on in the left side of his heart, and it's messing with his circulation." Dr. Collins sighed. "What happens is the blood and fluid get backed up because of whatever's going on there, which is what's causing him to have respiratory troubles. In the meantime, the heart starts pumping harder to try to get things going again, which leads to heart damage. Now, before we can schedule surgery we need to get in and do one more test to see exactly what's damaged, and I'm afraid it's one he's going to have to be sedated for."

"No," Chloe said, "no more tests. All we've been doing is putting him through one test after another. He can't take it and neither can we. If his heart is so weak, he doesn't have time for all of this anyway. Stop testing him and just fix it."

"Chloe - " Kayla began.

"No. I don't want to hear it." Chloe blinked hard. "All I want to hear out of either of you is what you're doing to make Parker's heart work right again."

"The test, and the surgery, are the second phase of the plan," Dr. Collins said. Her calmness infuriated Chloe, who gave Daniel an exasperated look. "Before we can even consider it, we need to reduce the pressure on the heart. So first, we're going to give him some medication to help lower his blood pressure and get the blood flowing more normally. He'll also need a diuretic so that all that excess fluid can drain."

"How do you know that the medication won't be enough to get his circulation under control?" Daniel asked. "From what I read last night, 9 times out of 10, that's all that's needed to get the system functioning properly again."

"We don't know that," Dr. Collins said, "but with all due respect, Dr. Jonas, I'd take my 12 years of experience with pediatric heart disease over the homework you did last night."

"Excuse me?" Daniel crossed his arms. "You think I, what, just Ewe Searched heart disease? I may not be a cardiologist, but I've researched treatments for plenty of patients over the years. I think I know how to find out what I need to know, and I certainly know how to read a medical journal article."

"Of course you do," Dr. Collins said in that same pseudo-soothing voice. "All I'm saying is that I've seen many, many cases like your son's, and in almost all of them, medication was just the first step."

"And all I'm saying is - "

"Excuse me," Chloe interrupted, "but are you two done with your battle of egos? I'd really like to get back to understanding what you're doing to help Parker."

"Chloe's right," Kayla said softly. "Let's get this conversation back on track."

"Thank you." Dr. Collins smiled slightly. "Now, as I was saying, we're going to start him on these medications and monitor his heart function for a little while. Then, we need to do a heart catheterization test. We'll sedate him and put a little tube into his heart so that we can take a movie of how the blood and oxygen are flowing, which parts of the heart are working well, and which aren't. After that, depending on the results, we will discuss surgical options with you."

"So he has to have surgery," Daniel said slowly, "to find out if he needs surgery? No. He is not… he is not going through that…"

"We'll revisit it when the time comes," Dr. Collins told him. "In the meantime, Dr. Brady will take care of prescribing the medications for him so we can get started." Dr. Collins put her purse over her shoulder. "I have to get to another consultation, but I do want you both to know… I hope for the very best outcome for your little boy. Take some time to digest this news before you decide about the catheterization. And hang in there-as scary as it is having a severely ill four-year-old, I can almost guarantee that if we follow the plan I've outlined, he will make it to five."

Dr. Collins left. Daniel and Chloe looked at each other.

Daphne put her hand on Paige's shoulder. "Hey. Don't let JJ ruin your morning like this." Paige looked up, blinking back tears. Daphne handed her a tissue and said, "I guess you're not as over him as you thought."

"It's not that. It's just… JJ isn't at all who I thought he was. I saw the proof right in front of my eyes. Jill's pregnant."

"JJ seemed shocked," Daphne pointed out. "So either he's the world's best actor or, Paige, he didn't know." Paige shrugged. Daphne went on, "Look, none of us knows what happened except that girl and maybe JJ. But it doesn't matter. You guys broke up a long time ago. Unless... "

"What?"

"Paige, are you thinking about forgiving him so you can get back together?"

"No!" Paige made a disgusted face. "Even if I wanted to do that, which I don't, there's no way I can until he owns up to what he did. He's still insisting he never touched Jill." She dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. "I'm sorry I messed up our morning with all this drama."

Daphne shrugged. "It happens, Paige. That's what friends are for."

"I guess." Paige played with her phone. "I think I want to just go to my mom's and get my things, and maybe restart this day."

"Okay. Want me to drive you?"

"Um… I think I'd rather be alone, if you don't mind."

"You won't be able to carry all that stuff on the bus. Here." Daphne took a key off her ring. "Take my car. I'm planning on hanging around campus today, so I won't need it."

Maggie was in the small kitchen that Victor had had built just for her when she moved in, kneading dough, when Jennifer came in. "Aunt Maggie!" Jennifer said. "It smells fantastic in here."

"I just took the first loaf of bread out of the oven," Maggie said. "I think I might make flatbread out of this leftover dough." She glanced up at Jennifer. "Whenever Victor's away, especially if I have something on my mind, getting in here and baking just makes the time fly by."

"Anything I can do to help?" Jen asked.

"Yes, actually. As soon as I get this in the oven, you can start mixing up a batch of those famous donuts Alice taught you to make." Maggie flipped the dough over and went on kneading it. "You sounded frantic on the phone, Jennifer Rose. Maybe baking can help you the way it helps me."

"I'm fine, Aunt Maggie, really." Jennifer scooped flour out with a measuring cup and poured it into a bowl.

"If I had a dollar for every time you said that when you were the opposite of fine, my fortune would rival Victor's." Maggie pulled her dough apart into chunks. While she was getting a rolling pin out of a drawer, she asked, "What's really going on?"

Jennifer sighed. "Kim suggested I call you, and I went back and forth because I don't want to push JJ away any more than I already have, but we're already barely talking, so I have nothing to lose. He's out of control, Aunt Maggie, and the only thing I can think of to do is stage some type of intervention."

"I see," Maggie said. She floured her rolling pin and began rolling out her flatbreads. "And what has that young man gotten into this time? I hope it's not drugs again."

"No, not drugs. At least I don't think so." Jennifer sighed. "Aunt Maggie, maybe this is crazy, but don't you think that if a kid like JJ who has been in so much trouble keeps hanging around people who are still doing stupid things, it's just going to drag him back onto the path he was on?"

"What are you gonna do to her?" Cole asked Jeff.

"It's sweet you're so protective of your girl, but you'd better just do what I say or I'll start thinking things you don't want me to think. Tie her up and then go in the bedroom and go through her purse. We might as well get something out of this."

Cole grimaced, but he did as he was told, forcing Bev onto the couch before tying her hands behind her back.

"Now," Jeff said after Cole had disappeared into the bedroom. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing," Bev protested. "I swear. I - "

"Liar!" Jeff slapped Bev across the face. She winced but refused to allow herself to cry. He knelt down by her, pressing his hand over her mouth and putting the knife against her throat. "I own you now, sweetheart, understand?" he said softly. "And I want to know exactly what you heard. Got that?" Bev nodded. "Now let's try this again," Jeff said. "What did you hear?" He took his hand off her mouth.

"Okay, you're right." Bev blinked back tears. "I heard you tell Cole how JJ took your job and how you're going to get him and Rory. But I only listened in because I love Cole so much. I'd do anything for my man, so I wanted to know what was going on so I could help him." Jeff looked puzzled. "I'm not going to tell anyone, I swear. In fact, I have a plan you can use."

"Yeah, right."

"No, really. But it'll only work if you let me go." Bev's fingers were moving behind her back, trying to find the knots in the rope so she could untie herself, but so far nothing. "Look, I'm more useful to you out in the world than if you keep me tied up in Cole's apartment. Rory's my best friend, right? So he trusts me. And JJ… he's like a big, dumb puppy when it comes to Rory. I don't think he even likes Rory but he hangs around him anyway waiting for him to become a Boy Scout or something."

"Get to the point."

"I," Bev said slowly, trying to sound flirtatious rather than scared out of her mind, "can lure Rory or JJ to wherever you want them to be."

Jeff nodded slowly. "Maybe we can use you," he said. "But don't get me wrong...I'm not letting you go." He pulled her to her feet by the rope around her wrists. As he ran his hands through her hair, he said, softly, "You go out there and do your thing til we're ready for you. I'll send Cole whenever I need you and you do whatever you're told, no questions asked."

Bev nodded. "Following orders is my specialty. Just ask Cole."

"Good." Jeff tilted Bev's head up, as if he were going to kiss her. "So hear this. We'll let you out for now… but if you breathe one word about any of this to anybody, especially the cops or those loser friends of yours, all of you are going to get very hurt." He cut the rope with his knife, freeing her hands. "Get the hell out of here and don't come back til I send for you."

Bev left the apartment. As soon as the door closed behind her, she leaned against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut and letting her shoulders shake for a second.

Paige heard someone calling her name as she pressed the elevator button in the apartment building's lobby. She turned around to see a slightly out of breath, pregnant woman looking at her. She crossed her arms. "What do you want, Jill?"

"You must get that attitude from your mother. She acts like she's all that too. I'm going to have to take her down a peg or two, because I just can't live with that."

Paige glared at her. "So," she said. "You take my boyfriend out from under my nose. You have his baby and think I'm never going to find out about it. Now you're taking digs at my mother?"

"Look, I didn't take anybody. JJ, he's just a typical little college boy, don't be so mad at him. That's what parties are for."

"If you're looking for money for your love child with him, don't ask me. And stop asking my mom, too. She might have a soft spot for you because of her past, but I see right through you."

"Oh, I don't want money. Not from you, anyway." Jill moved towards Paige. "I just wanted to tell you that I think you and I should make peace. After all, I'm going to be living with your mom, so we're going to be seeing a lot of each other. Maybe you can get over what happened between me and JJ. It was only one night, after all."

The elevator came. "I'm going upstairs," Paige said, "and I'd appreciate it if you'd stay out of my elevator." She pressed the button for Eve's floor and stepped back, crossing her arms against her chest as she watched the elevator close in Jill's face.

Jill smirked at the closing doors. _JJ's baby, huh? _she thought, giggling to herself. _This could work out even better than I thought._

JJ sat on a park bench, strumming his guitar and trying to clear his head. Nicole wasn't going to need him until she was ready to write up the bail hearing, he didn't have class for a while, and he had no idea what to do next. So much for the instincts Nicole insisted he had.

There was a lot of loud noise coming from behind the bushes. JJ quickly packed his guitar up, just in case. Rory came around the corner the next second, laughing hysterically. "Dude!" Rory said between giggles. "I… good thing I ran into you man."

JJ crossed his arms. "Rory - "

"You won't believe Bev," Rory said. "She… she… wow I'm so baked dude… anyway, can you believe she left the party with Cole?"

"Must have been some party, dude," JJ said, trying to choose his words carefully. "You've been free an hour and you're already stoned out of your mind."

"Yeah, it was great. You should… you should have been there, man." Rory noticed JJ's guitar in its case. He tried to open the zipper but seemed to be having trouble. "The music's a little stuck, dude," he said.

"Leave my guitar alone," JJ said, pulling it away. "This thing's expensive, dude, and the way you are right now you're gonna knock it to the ground."

Rory's eyes narrowed. "Dude! You're so uptight when you're sober."

JJ got up. "I gotta go."

"What?" Rory crossed his arms. "I'm good enough for you to spring from jail but not good enough to hang with?"

"Come on man, don't do this. You know I don't like being around weed, and what if I'd been hanging with Marissa? You think I want her to see you like this?"

"So I'm an embarrassment now?"

"No. I didn't mean it like that, Rory. I just meant - "

"You know what, just go do whatever boring thing you were gonna do. You're killing my buzz anyway." Rory glared at JJ. "And here I thought you helped me out, got me that fancy lawyer cause you cared." He made a face. "I'm not your charity case, dude. Go volunteer at a soup kitchen or something, you want to help the needy so bad."

"You must be so baked you don't know what you're saying, man. Hit me up when you're sober." JJ picked up his guitar and started to walk away.

"That'll be never," Rory said. "You know why, JJ? Cause I'm not ashamed of who I am, and if you were really my friend, you wouldn't be either." JJ turned around again but Rory said, "Keep walking, dude. You did your good deed, now get away from me."

Maggie took out a heavy pan before she answered. Putting it on the stove, she said, "Temptation can certainly be a problem. It has been for Brady. But it doesn't have to be. With all the alcohol Victor insists on leaving out in plain sight, I have never once wanted to touch it. Well, that's not completely true. Why do you think I stayed with you when we went through that rough patch last year?"

"That's the thing. Ever since JJ and Paige broke up - "

"Which I still say is a good thing-do you really think having Eve Donovan in your lives is good for any of you?"

"Paige was nothing like Eve. She was so good, and so good for JJ. She was like a daughter to me. She's the kind of girl I want for JJ, down to earth and sober and going somewhere in life."

"But she's not what JJ wants?"

"I don't know. That's all beside the point, though, Aunt Maggie. The problem is, since their breakup he's gone back to that stupid pothead friend of his, and he thinks he's going to change that kid for the better. But the truth is, Aunt Maggie, Rory is changing JJ for the worse again and he just refuses to see it. So, since JJ won't listen to me, the only thing left to do is some kind of intervention."

Maggie turned on the stove and threw a piece of flatbread dough into the pan. "If you really think that's what JJ needs, I'll help. But Jennifer Rose, I'm not convinced that he needs that. Some of JJ's behaviors are just normal parts of growing up, and he's just going to have to learn on his own that he can't change the world."

"You should have heard him, Aunt Maggie. My son is making some big mistakes again, and I can't just stand by and let him."

"You know," Maggie said, flipping the flatbread, "I remember a wild-eyed young woman I knew once, who insisted on living on the pier and was sure she knew everything about how to live. I never would have guessed that same girl would be standing in my kitchen trying to figure out the best way to help her son." Maggie put the flatbread on a plate and put another piece of dough in. "For that matter, if you'd told me two years ago that both Brady and JJ would be sober and productive, I don't know that I would have believed it. But if we had given up on them, we would have cheated ourselves out of the pleasure of seeing them turn their lives around. JJ's come a long way, Jennifer Rose. Don't panic. No matter what missteps he's taking now, I'm sure it's not as bad as when he was doing drugs morning, noon and night."

Daniel followed Chloe out into the hall next to Kayla's office. "Listen," he said, as Chloe pulled out her phone. "I know you gotta make some calls… I got people I need to call too. But can we… can we talk for a minute please?"

Chloe nodded.

"First of all, I know I haven't been checking in with you or with Parker enough. I want you to know, it's not cause I don't care. It's cause I care too much and I… I needed to shut down, to be by myself til I could get through some of what I was feeling."

"I know," Chloe said.

"The other thing, Chloe… the other thing is… at this point, in addition to all the adults we both need to tell, we gotta figure out together what to tell Parker. I mean, Maxine's gonna be giving him medication and he might need surgery, and he's been lying in that hospital bed not feeling 100% and not knowing why he's here or what's happening to him. I didn't want to scare him unnecessarily but now that we know, I think he deserves to get an age appropriate version of the truth. And I think it has to come from us, from both of us."

Chloe sighed. "I… I can't think… I mean, yes, you're right, he needs to know something, but I'm afraid. Daniel, what do I do if he looks at me with those big eyes of his and says, 'Mommy am I going to die?'"

"He is not going to die!" Chloe flinched and Daniel said, more softly, "He's not dying, Chloe. I promise. And that is what you tell him. You tell him, he is going to get better and that we are working with the best doctors there are to make sure of that."

"And are you going to be there for this conversation or did you really mean, Chloe tell our son he's very sick while I hide in my office?"

"Of course I am going to be there. Didn't I say it has to come from both of us?" Daniel tapped his phone. "I'm just making a phone call or two and then I will be right in his room with you. I promise."

"I'm going to make a call too."

"All right, then we're agreed? Meet in Parker's room in 20?"

Chloe nodded.

Daniel started to walk off. Chloe started dialing Philip's number. Daniel turned around again. "Oh, and Chloe?" She looked up, hoping she didn't have a look on her face that would make him question anything. "When you tell your parents, if you want to ask your dad what he thinks of what's going on… I won't be upset."

"Um...okay, maybe, if he offers."

Daniel left. Chloe called Philip and said, "You know how I didn't want you to see Parker in the hospital? I'm sort of wavering on that point. He has… he might need heart surgery and if he does… I don't care what anyone thinks, Philip, you should be there too."

Bev could hear Rory and JJ arguing from the other side of the bushes. JJ was saying, loudly, "I'm not walking away, dude. 24 hours ago you were singing a different tune, but the second you get out of jail the only thing that's important to you is where your next high's coming from."

"Time was when you used to worry about that too. But now you're so high and mighty, too good for a stoner like me." Rory shook his head. "I'm not like you, man. I don't have a stuck up mommy to please. Me getting high's good enough for Kurt, and if you were being yourself it would be good enough for you."

"I don't care that you get high," JJ said. "I'm just saying, man, you were high when you got robbed, the cops threw you in jail cause you had weed on you, what's gonna happen next?"

"I know!" Rory giggled. "That's the fun of it, man. The cops or whoever can only do so much to me, and then when I get free I go right back to doing what I want to do." JJ frowned and Rory said, "Dude, didn't you break up with Paige? What're you carrying her face around with you for?"

"You know what?" JJ said. "I'm tired of having this same conversation over and over."

"You're not the only one." Rory crossed his arms, but then he seemed to relent, saying softly, "Dude, stop worrying about me. No matter what happens, I'll still be standing at the end of it. You got that hot new Marissa to take your mind off everything, don't mess it up giving me a lecture when you could be hanging with her."

Rory walked off. Bev let the branches of the bushes go so she could follow him. She had to find some way to warn him without it getting back to Jeff.

Eve held the key she'd made for Jill in the palm of her hand, staring at it. _There has to be another way to get rid of that Jill besides making her think she's crazy, _she thought, making a face. Paige's key turned in the lock just then, so she quickly hid the one she was holding in a desk drawer.

"Hi sweetheart," Eve said, putting on her best smile. "It is so good to see you. How was your breakfast with your friend?"

Paige glared at her mother. "Is it true that you're letting that girl move in with you?"

"What girl, baby? I don't know what you're talking about."

"The one that was here yesterday. The one who's pregnant, and who you didn't want to let in here because you don't want to take care of her baby."

"Oh, her. Well… tell you what, sweetheart, come sit down and let's talk about it." Eve patted the couch next to her. "Now I didn't mention this on the phone because I thought we should discuss it in person, but apparently she was so excited she beat me to it."

"How could you let her move in here, Mom? She helped JJ break my heart."

"JJ would have done that sooner or later, Jill or no Jill," Eve snapped. "For all you know, she had no idea he had a girlfriend. Now come on now, you saw what that girl's like. She's about to have a baby, Paige, and she's all on her own. Now, if I hadn't had your Grandpa Shane and Grandma Kim's help when I was pregnant with you, I might have had to bang on some stranger's door begging for a place to stay too."

"I doubt she begged."

"Now look, where's your heart, Paige? Aren't you the same girl who used to cry if I stepped on a bug or tell me I was being too close minded if I said something thoughtless about those who aren't as fortunate as we are? Come on, Paige, you know better than to be so mean, sweetheart, especially knowing what you know about me. You know that before I reconnected with Grandpa Shane I did some things I wasn't proud of. Now how could I turn my back on a girl your age who's all caught up in the same situation I was in? I thought about what you said, but sweetheart, it just wouldn't be right."

"Helping girls get off the streets is fine, Mom, but what about me? Why is this girl more important to you than your own daughter?" Paige blinked hard. "Mom, she's having JJ's baby! How do you think it feels, knowing she's in my room, sleeping in my bed?"

"How do you know the baby's even JJ's? Come on now, Paige, aren't you jumping to conclusions just a little?"

"No, Mom. I know because she told me." Paige turned her back on Eve.

"She did? Did she say anything else?"

"Just that she thought we should get along since she's moving in here." Paige shook her head. "I told you before, Mom, I can't be here if she's going to be."

"Okay fine. I'll make sure she stays out of your way, even though I think you're being very coldhearted, and that's just not like you, Paige." Eve rubbed her temples. "Get me my purse, baby. I think I feel a headache coming on."

Paige rolled her eyes but she handed Eve her purse. Eve searched through it. "Now where is… damn it, I must be out. Baby, can you run to the pharmacy real quick and get me another bottle of ibuprofen? I forgot, I used the last of it last night."

"I guess," Paige said, sighing. "But I'm not staying long. I'm just getting the last of these boxes so Jill can have my room." She picked up her purse and walked out, slamming the door behind her.

Eve smirked. _Well, Jill, _she thought, _looks like you've earned your keep after all. _She picked up her phone and texted Jill to come get her key.

Chloe was singing to Parker when Daniel walked into the room.

_That little light of mine,_

_I'm gonna let it shine._

Parker giggled. "More, Mommy!"

"Maybe later, angel. Daddy's here."

"Don't go away," Parker begged.

Chloe smiled at him. "I'm not going anywhere. Actually, Daddy and I want to talk to you together. Don't worry, we're not mad at you, and you're not in trouble."

Daniel pulled up an extra chair and sat down next to Parker. "How you feeling buddy?"

"I dunno," Parker said. "I like when Mommy sings."

"I bet you do." Daniel sighed. "The thing is, Parker, the reason you've been in the hospital is cause, uh, well your heart, it's a little sick."

"My heart's sick?" Parker sounded surprised. "But I love you and Mommy and Nicole and Jennifer and both Grandpas and Grandmas."

"My sweet angel," Chloe said. "It's not the part of your heart that loves that isn't working right. That part is just fine. But did you know there's another part of your heart that goes boom boom boom and sends blood all over your body to do the things your body needs it to do?"

"Boom boom boom. Boom boom boom," Parker said, giggling.

Chloe looked at Daniel. "Hey Parker, look at us for a second," he said. "The thing is, buddy, your heart...it's not beating the way it's supposed to and that's why you've been so dizzy and why you need that tube in your nose to help you breathe. But the good news is, now that we know that, starting tonight, Maxine is gonna give you some medicine to help your heart. So when she gives it to you, you need to take it, even if you don't like it, okay?"

"Is it gonna be yucky?" Parker asked.

"Yucky? No way! Cause you know what, even if you have to get used to how it tastes, it's gonna make you feel so much better that after a few times, you won't even notice."

"And then we going home?"

"In a few days, Parker, maybe," Chloe said. "The doctors have to make sure your heart is better first."

"And then I can go to your house and see trains with your friend?"

"What friend?" Daniel asked.

Chloe said, "I'll tell you later." She ran her hands through Parker's hair and said, "As soon as you get better, we'll go see the trains first thing, okay angel? So do what the doctors tell you, and if you're scared just tell me or Daddy, and one of us will be right here next to you."

Marissa stood in line at the pharmacy, looking at the prescription Marlena had given her. She wasn't sure why she needed an anti-depressant, since she wasn't depressed, but Marlena wouldn't prescribe a straight sleeping pill, so she took what she could get.

_It wasn't that long ago that she'd stood up in the back of the huge auditorium where Introduction to Psychology was being held and said, loudly, "I think these psychological medications are a cop-out. I mean, if someone's anxious or depressed, they don't need medicine. They need to deal with whatever it is that's making them feel that way. If you're going to dope them up, you might as well send them to the streets to try out illicit drugs." There were gasps from her fellow classmates. _

_The professor glared at her; she could feel his anger without looking at the video monitors set up around the room so that students in the back could see and hear properly. "Young lady," he said, "I would love to introduce you to some of the patients whose lives have been changed by these medications, but unfortunately I'm not legally allowed to. So I will just say this. I hope that you never find yourself in a situation where you need this type of medicine, and that if you do I hope the mental health professionals you're dealing with are not as judgmental as you are being right now. Now please do not disrupt my class further with these opinions. I would prefer, in fact, that everybody think before they make a comment, and make sure that it is contributing to the class rather than merely interrupting my lecture."_

The professor's words cut deep now, and so did her own. Marissa almost crumpled the prescription, but she had to face the fact that she wasn't functioning well enough on her own, and that she had to listen to what her doctor was telling her to do. She sighed deeply as the pharmacist called her to the counter. She stepped forward, slowly, and handed in her prescription.

The pharmacy clerk smiled at her sympathetically as she put the prescription info in the computer. "We'll text you when it's ready. About 20 minutes, okay?" Marissa nodded and walked off.

She sat down in the waiting area and stared at her phone, then dialed a number. "Hey," she said when JJ picked up. "I hope I'm not bothering you. I just… look, when I finish running some errands, do you think we could meet up? I'd really like to get through a conversation without the cops interrupting us. Cool, thanks, JJ."

The door to the pharmacy opened as Marissa hung up her phone. She turned to see who had come in…

...and found herself face to face with Paige. JJ's ex-girlfriend had a hard, angry look in her eye as she stared at Marissa.

Cole slipped out of the bedroom soon after Bev left. "I wouldn't trust her, boss," he said under his breath. "There's one thing I know about Bev, and that's that she's only in it for herself."

Jeff crossed his arms. "Oh, I don't trust her. She has something we can use, that's all. Besides, she was right, keeping her imprisoned here would be more trouble than it's worth right now, especially if we don't want to get caught."

Cole nodded. "So what's the plan for Rory and JJ, dude? Another robbery?"

"Nah. Too obvious. Besides, robberies aren't big enough for what I want to do. The cops, they noticed for about 30 seconds, but now that there hasn't been one for a day or two, they're gonna call the crime wave a done deal and move on to something else. I want to make a bigger impression, especially on the people who crossed me."

"Like what?"

"Every minute of every day of the rest of their lives, I want them to think of me and realize what a mistake they made. I want them to hurt the way they hurt me, especially JJ." Jeff's eyes blazed. "He took my job from me and he doesn't even care about journalism, and he's gonna know soon what it feels like. Cause I'm gonna take everything from him that he cares about. I just need to do a little digging to find out who and what he loves the most." Jeff turned the anger off all of a sudden, grinning at Cole. "So what'd we gain from your girl's things?"

"A fat wallet, man. Wish I had a dad who gave me hundreds of dollars. A couple joints of weed that haven't been tainted by Rory's germs yet. And this." He handed a phone to Jeff. "She has the fanciest, latest smartphone. Spoiled bitch."

"Good job," Jeff said, going through the phone. "This'll come in handy if we need to get in touch with our enemies. Empty out her wallet and go give her back her purse. I wanna make sure she hasn't forgotten our deal."

After their conversation with Parker, Daniel went to check with Kayla about the exact medications Parker would be on. He went to his office to research them, planning to tell Maxine himself exactly how they were to be administered to Parker.

It seemed like there was a knock on the door almost the second he settled into his seat. "Come in," he called.

Victor came in. "I take it you don't want to be in the same room as that tramp you used to be married to either, since Chloe is sitting with Parker by herself."

Daniel held his hand up. "Spare me the venom about Chloe. She's still a friend of mine, and more importantly, still Parker's mother."

"I had been hoping she'd be one of those absentee mothers who parents via Skype from now on."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"All right, all right. It's your office so I guess I can respect your request. Actually, I was hoping to see Parker today so I wanted to check the calendar for when his mother wasn't going to be in the room."

Daniel crossed his arms. "I could take her out for a cup of coffee while you sit with him. Or, and I know this is rough, you can swallow your pride and tolerate Chloe's presence while you look in on him."

"You know, you're probably about the only man who could get away with talking to me that way. But you're right, I suppose. I learned a long time ago that wishing away distasteful facts never gets you anywhere." Victor turned to go, then turned around again. "Speaking of swallowing your pride, I have a proposition for you."

"About…"

"About Parker's care. Now, I know you know what you're doing, but I'm not so sure about the other doctors around here. I mean, this is a no-name hospital, not a heart care facility."

"The cardiologist has 12 years of experience with cases like Parker's."

"And I'm sure she's a fine doctor for the false alarms and minor heart murmurs Salem sees when a parent gets overly anxious, but Parker's ailment is the real thing. Anyway, I still have contacts with that heart clinic in Switzerland. Just say the word and I can have any one of the world's top heart specialists in Salem within a day."

"Victor, I appreciate the offer, but - "

"Now who's not swallowing their pride? I know you wish you could handle Parker's case yourself, but since you've been demoted from surgeon to parent, you might as well take advantage. Let me make a call."

"Tell you what," Daniel said, realizing Victor was not going to give up. "Why don't I think about it while you go look in on Parker?" He stood. "Come on, I'll take you down the hall to him. I promised I'd be back in his room soon so I'm on my way there anyway."

"All right," Victor said.. "I guess that's the best I can hope for, but when you've had a chance to come to your senses, the offer still stands."

Chloe took out the hospital set that that psychologist had left them to try to show Parker what was going on. "Look," she said, putting a doll of a child in one of the hospital beds, "this little boy is sick in the hospital too."

"I want that," Parker said, pointing to an ambulance in the box for the toy.

Chloe handed it to him. He drove it all over his nightstand, making ambulance siren noises. "Truck takes Parker home," he said.

"Talk like a big boy," Chloe told him wearily.

The door opened. Chloe turned to see Nicole, who was holding a big balloon. "Oh," Nicole said. "I didn't realize you were having a private moment with him. I'll come back later."

"Wait," Chloe said. Nicole turned around again. "Look," Chloe said, "I didn't mean for you to get kicked out of here the other day. You've been good to Parker, and to Daniel. You deserve to come see him anytime you want."

"Thanks." Nicole played with the string attached to the balloon.

"We good?" Chloe asked.

"I guess." Nicole glanced over at Parker. "I mean, we have to be for his sake, right? But look, Chloe, I thought you were about the only one left who didn't judge me, and I really appreciated that. Here in Salem, rubbing in my face what I did to Eric is pretty much a citizenship requirement."

"Come on, Nicole, don't you know me better than that? I don't care about some stupid shredded papers that you forgot to mention for a few months. If that's what passes for scandal these days, Salem must be more full of saints than I remember. Besides, I think I've done a lot worse than that."

"So have I. Including to you. And to Daniel. That's why both of your friendships mean so much to me." Nicole smiled. "So if it wasn't that, then what was up with the bitchiness the other day?"

"It didn't have anything to do with you at all. It was just… everything seemed like it was slipping out from under me. I'd just gotten the news, I'd driven all night… then some doctor I never saw before made it sound like Parker was…" Chloe glanced at her son. "...well a lot sicker than he is. If I was mad at anyone, it was God. And probably Daniel. He got the same news I did and he disappeared. I got more comfort from Jennifer Horton than I did from him."

"Yikes. Salem's patron saint stopped by to soothe you?" Nicole made a face.

Chloe laughed for the first time since she'd gotten the news. "You know, I really missed you."

"Me too! Salem hasn't been the same without the two of us taking to the streets together."

"I was a rotten friend yesterday though," Chloe said. "But how about I make it up to you? Let me tell you something I haven't told anybody here yet."

Paige advanced towards Marissa. "So you're JJ's new girlfriend."

"Not yet," Marissa said coldly, "but I will be." She crossed her arms and glared back at Paige.

"Oh, I don't care what he does," Paige said. "In fact, if you want him, you're welcome to him. See, JJ's a great guy, as long as he stays sober. When he was doing well last summer, he made me fall in love with him. But I've learned the hard way that sooner or later, he's going to slip back into the way he used to be, and when he does, he breaks people's hearts."

Marissa took a step towards Paige. "I think if I can handle being held at knifepoint and tied to my bed, I can handle a night of JJ being stoned. Unlike you, I don't see the world as so black and white. The guy who broke into my room-he's a bad guy. A guy like JJ who has a lot of good in him but also sometimes smokes or drinks...he's not."

Paige's face softened. "Oh my gosh, I didn't know. So you're the girl in Daphne's dorm...well in my dorm."

"Yes, that's me. Now I bet you feel bad about coming after me with a lot of garbage about JJ."

"I wasn't trying to upset you," Paige said. "I just wanted to warn you. See, JJ, he's easy to fall in love with, but when you fall off of cloud nine, it really hurts." She turned her back to Marissa. "He didn't just get drunk or high or whatever. He cheated on me. He says he was drugged, that it was an accident, that he can't remember… I just hope if he has one of those slips or whatever, he doesn't do the same thing to you."

"JJ cheated on you?" Marissa was surprised. "I mean, you know him better than I do, but that seems weird."

"Yeah, it does. And even weirder, the girl he did it with is back in town, and she's pregnant. JJ says it's not his but I'm not so sure." Paige shook her head. "It just goes to show you never know a guy's true colors til you've been with him a while." Paige picked up a bottle of ibuprofen. "I'd better get back. If you still want to be with JJ, maybe it'll be better for you than it was for me. Just… be careful."

"You be careful too," Marissa said. "The guy who attacked me… the cops can't find him."

Paige turned white but she just nodded and went to pay. Marissa thought, _Too bad she's JJ's ex. Under other circumstances, I might have actually made a friend. _Her phone buzzed and she sighed as she went to get her medication.

"Here," Eve said, pressing the key into Jill's hand. "I guess that little story you told my daughter was worth this, even if you did it behind my back."

"Hey," Jill said, putting the key on her ring, "I had to think of something. I mean, I was in the lobby when she came in and she was going to ask questions anyway. I didn't exactly want to tell her the real reason I'm staying with you, though if that's what you want…"

"What I want is for you to stay out of her way. When she's here-like she will be in a few minutes-make yourself scarce."

"I'm going, but only because I have someplace to be. I have a baby to think of, you know. By the way, that boy you had me drug… do you know, like, his parents or anything?"

"That boy you decided to drug is out of my daughter's life for good, so now you can leave him alone."

"I don't think so. See, I have a baby to provide for, and since we've decided he's the daddy, that makes me entitled to some help from him, doesn't it?"

Eve thought for a minute, trying to weigh the pleasure it would give her to see the look on Jennifer's face to hear her precious son was the father of a prostitute's baby against her guilt over Jill having gone too far last time. "You're right," she said. "You certainly do, and I happen to know that his mother is just rolling in money."

Paige meant to go straight back to Eve's to give her mother her headache pills and collect her stuff, but her conversation with Marissa had shaken her more than she wanted to admit. For one thing, she'd expected JJ's new girlfriend to be a total bitch like Bev, who had been the one before her, had been. Marissa seemed like a perfectly decent girl, one she might have been friends with if they hadn't had JJ in common, and she felt terrible about what had happened to her. Plus, Marissa was right-the robber was still out there and he could attack Paige and Daphne just as easily as he had her.

_I can't let my mom see me like this, _Paige thought, and pulled into the Club TBD lot instead.

She almost decided to go to Brady Pub instead when she saw that idiot Cole sitting at a table. Cole had once tried to steal her phone out of her purse, and she found out later that Bev had put him up to it to scare her away from JJ. She took a deep breath. That was another lifetime. She wasn't going to let Cole, or anyone else, scare her away.

"Hey Paige," Ben said as she came up to the bar. "What can I get you? Soda or ice tea today?"

"Lime soda," Paige said, "and if T's here, could you ask him to come over for a second? Not that there's anything wrong with you," she added quickly. "I just owe him something from the other night."

"Coming up," said Ben, and went in the back to find T.

Cole watched as T came up to the bar, playing with Bev's purse and hoping he'd run into her here soon. Taking her phone meant he couldn't get ahold of her very easily, and he'd wasted a lot of time already trying to find her.

"You actually wanted to see me?" T said to Paige. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"I don't know," Paige said. "I guess I owe you an apology. A real one. I was afraid if you and I got to be friends, sooner or later I'd forget about JJ."

"And now?"

"Now I want to forget him."

(Cole's ears perked up at the mention of JJ's name.)

"Oh man," T said. He wiped the counter as he went on talking to Paige, making himself look busy. "Wait, I'm not your...what do you call it, your rebound dude, am I?"

"No," Paige said in an annoyed tone. "You're just the one I almost let get away because I was too wrapped up in the past."

Just then, Cole saw Bev walk past the club, probably on her way to get high with that loser Rory. Cole ran outside, hoping to catch her before it was too late.

JJ had taken his guitar out again, but he put it back when he saw Marissa coming. "Hey," he said. "What's up?"

"Um…" Marissa pushed her hair behind her ear. "I'll tell you in a sec. I just need to get my thoughts together."

"Okay…" JJ's stomach tightened. Paige used to do that same thing with her hair when she was upset with him. Were all girls like this? he wondered. "Well, why don't you sit down, anyway?"

Marissa nodded. She sat down next to JJ and said, "It's good to see you. I always imagined someday I'd be sitting with a boy and his guitar." She smiled slightly at him. "It's been a hell of a day."

"I bet." JJ squeezed his hands together nervously. "So um, what'd Hope want?"

"I'll get to that. Kind of working up to it." Marissa glanced at JJ, then away. "Is it okay if I ask a really dumb question first?"

"I guess."

Marissa turned towards him. Her eyes were wide. "That pregnant girl that I've seen at the park a couple times… um… you don't have anything to do with how she got that way, right?"

"Bev!" Cole said, running to catch her. She sighed but she turned around, knowing she had no choice.

"I've been trying to catch you all afternoon," Cole went on, gasping to catch his breath. "Here, you forgot this at my apartment." He handed her the purse. Bev took it and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw how empty her wallet was. "You forgot my phone," she said.

"Beggars can't be choosers. Come into the alley with me. We need to talk."

"Can't it wait?"

"I thought you were good at following orders."

"All right, fine." Bev followed Cole into the alley behind the club. "What does Jeff need?" she asked.

"Just some 411, for now." Cole crossed his arms. "That girl you wanted me to set up that time, the one who was into JJ, what's her story?"

"Paige? She doesn't have one." Bev rolled her eyes. "She's just a loser who was into JJ for a while, but he finally woke up and dumped her at the beginning of last semester. So Jeff won't be able to use her to get to JJ, because they've been done since the fall."

"That's for him to decide. He might find a way."

"What are you up to?" Bev asked. Cole gave her a look and she pushed her hair behind her ear, adding in a flirtatious half whisper, "How can I help if you keep me in the dark?"

"Sorry, no can do. Orders from Jeff, you know. But you're cute." Cole kissed her lightly. "The rest of the day, he wants you to keep track of Paige. Meet me in the park at sunset, tell me exactly where she's been." He walked off.

Bev made a face, but she sighed and headed into the club to see if Paige was there.

"Oh my God," JJ said. "You talked to Paige, didn't you?"

"No," Marissa said. "I mean, yeah, I ran into her in the pharmacy, but that's not why I'm asking. I figured she was just vindictive or jealous or something, but - "

"Yeah, she is. I didn't think she was like that." JJ shook his head. "I was really in love with her once, and I can't believe she turned out to be just like her mom, scheming and spreading gossip and doing whatever it takes to mess things up for me."

"Her mom? What does - "

"I am so tired of explaining myself to people. That's why Paige and I didn't work out, and if you're gonna start off with accusations too, then we're done before we begin." JJ picked up his guitar.

"JJ!" Marissa said. "What the hell? I didn't accuse of you of anything, and I sure as hell didn't come here to argue about some stupid girl who belongs in your past."

"Then what did you come here for? You said you wanted to talk but the first thing out of your mouth is some stupid rumor that anyone who knows me would never believe."

"Here we go again." Marissa's voice wavered. JJ hated how scared she sounded. "Look," she said. "I wasn't trying to start trouble, and I didn't believe a word Paige said, okay? I just thought maybe part of what makes you so scared of me is this girl or her pregnancy or whatever, and that maybe you'd feel better if you got it out. That's all."

JJ shook his head. "No matter what I do, the lies follow me. It's like, karma for my past or something. I have messed up a lot, Marissa, like I told you before. But at least I can say I never got a girl pregnant and left her to fend for herself. Believe me or don't, but I never did anything with Jill."

Marissa was quiet for a second. Then she said, softly, "Paige sure did a number on you, didn't she?"

"It's not just Paige." JJ pulled his knees up to his chest. "I've made a lot of enemies, Marissa, and I guess I deserve that, or some of it anyway. But one of the reasons I didn't want to get involved with you is cause there are a ton of people who are gonna try to fill your head with garbage about me, just to mess with us. Paige, she tried as hard as she could to ignore them, but with everybody constantly telling her what a bad guy I was, it wore her down and she… she began to believe the worst about me." JJ blinked hard.

"I'm sorry," Marissa said, touching JJ's shoulder."What'd she think - "

"I don't wanna talk about it, okay?" JJ pulled at the grass by his feet.

"That's cool."

"Really?"

"I want to know everything about you," Marissa said, "but… you know, maybe I owe you a big time apology for that. Since I was attacked it seems like that's all anyone wants me to talk about. Hope keeps asking me about it-and I get it, she has to do something to feel like she's making progress on catching the asshole who did it-but it's not just her. It's everybody. I feel like when I walk down the hall in my dorm, people are… they're looking at me and they're saying to themselves, there goes that girl who got attacked, poor thing. Like… like that's who I am, that's who they see me as, and while everyone is busy talking about it and trying to get me to talk about it… I'm stuck with the memories of it running through my head over and over, and I wish I could just get a break from it all." Marissa took a deep breath. "Anyway… what I'm trying to say is, I guess that's probably how you feel about your breakup with Paige too."

JJ nodded. "Yeah.. it is, kind of."

Marissa found herself reaching for JJ's hand. Her fingers brushed his. He looked surprised, and she wasn't sure he wanted it, so she pulled her hand away, quickly. "I know I came here to talk," she said, "but I don't feel much like it either."

"Sorry if I ruined it for you."

"Nah." Marissa eyed JJ's guitar. "I thought we could just hang out. Maybe… you could play the guitar for me?"

"I dunno." JJ picked up the guitar but didn't play. "I'm really not that good, Marissa. I mean, my mom thinks I'm like, this huge talent, but that's in her head. There's probably ten guys walking around this campus who are better than me."

"What do I care how good ten other guys are? I'm sitting here with you, aren't I?" Marissa tried to smile. "Seriously, JJ, you don't need to try to impress me. Good, bad, whatever… it's just you."

"All right, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"Shut up and play, will you?"

Marissa thought she saw a smile flicker across JJ's face as he began to strum. She lay back on the grass next to him, listening.

"Let me guess," Nicole said to Chloe. "The real reason you snapped at me is because you've developed feelings for me. It's kind of a pattern."

"Not exactly," Chloe said, giggling. "The thing is, I have developed feelings for someone...or rediscovered them."

Nicole's eyes widened. "You mean…"

Chloe nodded. "Philip. It started last summer."

_Chloe had started jogging through Humboldt Park on days when Parker was in Salem with Daniel. It took her mind off how empty her apartment seemed without him, and exercising put her in a good mood. One August day, it was too hot to jog, really, so she just walked through the park carrying a bottle of water and telling herself it was good to get out._

_Someone called her name. She turned and saw a tall, regal-looking man, wiping his brow. Any other man would have had his shirt off, and she couldn't help wishing this one would have too, even though the time for such thoughts was in the distant, distant past. "Philip?" she said, questioning if she even had the right man as opposed to just a memory._

"_I thought that was you," they both said at the same time._

_Philip smiled. "We still finish each other's sentences after all these years."_

"_What do you want, Philip?" Chloe didn't return the smile._

"_Chloe, what…? I thought you'd be as happy to run into each other as I am. Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered calling your name."_

"_Yes, you would have." Chloe sighed. "And no matter what I feel… I can't help answering." _

"_So I'm probably an idiot for asking this, but what exactly is it you feel?"_

"_Oh, I don't know, Philip. Maybe that it's three years too late." Chloe started to walk away._

"_Chloe, come on. That's not fair and you know it. You were the one who said that Parker deserved to have both his parents together. You were the one who said that if I stayed in Parker's life, it would just confuse him. You were the one who acted like the only reason there ever was any us was because it was better for Parker to think we were a family, when really you were lying to him-and to me-the whole time."_

"_I wasn't in my right mind," Chloe protested. "I'm sure you knew, because everybody knew, and anyway I'm sure your father couldn't wait to gloat to you about how that tramp you used to love turned out to be a basket case."_

"_I wouldn't have listened to him! I didn't know what to do, Chloe, I thought maybe all the confusion over Parker's paternity was what caused your mental breakdown. So when you were in the hospital, I stayed away in order to stop confusing you so you could heal. I swore to myself that as soon as you got out, as soon as you were strong enough, I'd call you, but then…"_

"_But then you had more important things to do."_

"_No. Then a voice in my head said that if I looked you up, maybe it would make you relapse. I didn't know how strong you were or weren't. I didn't know if you were the girl I fell in love with or the… the other one… the one who wanted Daniel at all costs. So I thought, cut your losses Kiriakis, you were lucky to have Chloe for as many years as you did, but it's over now."_

"_It didn't have to be," Chloe said, "but now it does." She tried again to walk off, but Philip followed her. "I can't do this anymore, Philip. I'm not 16 anymore. I'm not your ghoul girl. I'm a grown woman with a little boy to take care of, and I have to leave the past in the past before I end up with any more regrets."_

"_If you walk away now, that's exactly what you'll end up with." Philip crossed his arms. "You may not be 16 anymore, but neither am I. I've grown and changed, you've grown and changed, but one thing that's constant for me is the thought of you. I was a coward, I admit it. I was too afraid to fight for you after we found out about Parker, because I didn't want to face the possibility that maybe the only thing you loved about me was that I was his father. But for three years, Chloe, for three years the thing that kept me going was the thought that someday I'd run into you somewhere and we'd have the chance to make up for lost time and to get it right this time. So walk away if you want, leave me in your past if you want, but just know, that to me, you will always be my present and my future."_

_Chloe crossed her arms, but the anger was fading and she knew she couldn't hold onto it. "We can't just pick up where we left off."_

"_I know. But we can start again. How about we just go for a walk together?"_

_Chloe found herself nodding. Philip reached for her hand, but she didn't take it, not yet. Instead she just walked beside him._

"I was going to re-introduce Parker to Philip this week," Chloe said to Nicole, "and if that went well face Daniel and whatever reaction he might have to our son being around his ex-father. But obviously with Parker's illness, all that's taking a back seat. I was going to keep it all to myself, but I had to tell someone. And after the way I lashed out at you, I thought a juicy best friend secret was in order."

Nicole smiled. "It's safe with me. And thanks."

"You don't think I'm crazy for wanting to get back with him again, do you?"

"This is coming from a woman who shreds evidence to hold onto a man who turns out not to be worth it, so you might want a few buckets of salt… but no, I don't. I'm just glad somebody's happy. You are...happy, aren't you?"

"With Philip? Yes, of course! Just this Parker thing has thrown me for a loop, that's all. But wait, what do you mean, at least somebody's happy? Aren't you happy with Daniel?"

"Daniel is my best friend, besides you, and I'm glad he's in my life, but we're not anything more than that. Not that I haven't tried, mind you."

"Oh. I don't know why I assumed you were together and Daniel just hadn't gotten around to telling me yet."

"Probably because you're looking at the world through Philip-colored glasses. Anyway, everybody thinks me and Daniel are an item, except him. And me, of course." Nicole shrugged. "Anyway, back to you. So are you and Philip - "

"Are you and Philip what?" interrupted Daniel, who had just walked in. Chloe and Nicole both gulped. To make matters worse, Victor came in behind Daniel.

Paige and T were still talking to each other in low voices when Bev slid back into Club TBD. She watched them, wishing she was off with Rory, getting high somewhere. She glared at the back of Paige's head.

"So I was wondering," T was saying to Paige, "a girl like you wouldn't… you don't like basketball, do you?"

"That was random," Paige said. "But do you mean watching or like, actually playing?"

"Either one," T said, shrugging. "I mean, I'd love to hang out with a girl who actually plays, but that's probably out of my reach."

"Why do you say that?" Paige asked. "I mean, despite the awful way I used to treat you, you are a nice guy. You should go for whatever you want."

"All righty then," T said. "I guess what I'm asking is, would you like - "

Bev purposely knocked her drink off the table; the glass shattered all over the place. "A little help over here!" she called loudly.

T made a face. "Hold that thought," he said. "Ben's on break so I kind of have to take care of this." He hurried to the back to get the broom and dustpan.

As soon as he was gone, Bev slid up to Paige. "Hi," she said brightly. "Can you believe I was so clumsy? I guess I was just surprised to see you actually talking to a guy. Good for you, though. That bartender's cute, and unlike JJ, he doesn't belong with someone else."

Paige crossed her arms. "What do you want, Bev?"

"Oh, nothing. Just to congratulate you." Bev played with her necklace, twisting the chain over her fingers. "And to warn you."

After they finished baking, Maggie had headed off to a meeting, so Jen found herself with too much time on her hands and too much on her mind. She went into the bookstore that JJ had destroyed-would she ever stop associating that store with her son at his worst?-and wandered around. Maybe the parenting section would have some book that would tell her how to deal with the situation, though she doubted it.

The parenting aisle was full of books about disciplining difficult children and helping strong willed children accept your authority. Images of all the arguments she'd had with Jack over JJ's behavior flashed through Jennifer's mind. No words, just images...just the way Jack looked when he was passionately defending their son, the way she herself had cried, the time she'd looked over Jack's shoulder in the middle of an argument to see her six-year-old son standing in the doorway to their bedroom, staring at them with wide eyes, how unhappy JJ had looked the day they dropped him off at that boarding school for the first time…

Jennifer ran her fingers over the spine of a book titled _Disciplining Your Strong Willed Child Without Destroying Your Relationship_. _Too late, _ she thought, moving on to the next row.

"Excuse me," a voice said behind her. Jennifer took a second to compose herself, swallowing hard and pushing a stray lock of hair back into place, before she looked up. She found herself face to face with a girl about JJ's age, blonde, pretty, clearly pregnant.

"Um, hi," Jennifer said. "Do I know you?"

"No. Not yet, anyway. But you're JJ's mom, right?"

Jen crossed her arms. "Yes. I am. What - "

"Okay, good, I have the right person." Jill rubbed her belly. "I'm Jill," she said, holding out her hand to shake Jennifer's. "I'm the mother of your grandchild."


	9. Chapter 9

Chloe glanced at Daniel. "How about I tell you privately?"

"Maybe in your family," Victor said, pulling up a chair next to Parker, "the parents are the last to know anything, but rest assured that isn't how it works here. If you've managed to ingratiate yourself into Philip's good graces again, I have a right to know about it. And if, as I hope, he has come to his senses and realized that you're more toxic to him than those brownies his mother fed you, I'm even more interested in the story."

"Victor…" Daniel said.

"No, it's all right," Chloe said. She advanced towards Victor. "I'm holding my tongue because my son...your godson's only boy and your wife's only grandson...needs peace and quiet if he's ever going to recover enough to make it out of this hospital bed. But rest assured, Victor, I I give as good as I get, and you should know that about me by now. So if you'll excuse me, I'd like to talk to Parker's father out in the hall. Who I spend time with is my business, not yours, but for Parker's sake I will explain it to Daniel, and hope he has the sense not to pass on the message to you."

"You know what I hate more than a double-crossing, lying, tramp of a woman? One who's all of the above with a big mouth."

Chloe's mouth dropped open, but before she could retort, Nicole said, "No wonder our marriage failed then. Even back then I wasn't exactly known for my tact. Anyway, since the two of you want to fight over who gets to hear Chloe's news first and Parker's going to end up as collateral damage, I'll just tell you what I was going to ask. Chloe, are you and Philip moving in together?"

"Oh my God," Victor said before anyone could respond. "Connivers in stereo. What has the world come to?"

"Nicole!" Chloe said.

"Sorry." Nicole covered her mouth with her hand, playfully. Nobody smiled and Nicole said, "I guess I'll just leave this for Parker and come back another time when the insane element has been removed from the room." She put the balloon by Parker's bed, gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, and left.

"So…," Daniel said, flatly, "I think I'd like the answer to that question too...but in the hall. Chloe?"

"Gladly," Chloe said, following him.

"Warn me?" Paige's eyes got wide. "I guess you're talking to JJ again. You can tell him that I'm not going to listen to him, or you, or whoever else he sends to try to interfere with my life. He and I are done, and if he doesn't stop I'm going to go to a lawyer and take out a restraining order."

"What?" Bev bit her lip. "No, I haven't talked to JJ. Ew."

"Don't bother covering for him. He doesn't like me hanging around Jeff. I get it. You can tell him that if he hadn't cheated on me, he'd have no reason to be jealous."

Bev bit her lip to hide her guilt when she heard Jeff's name. "Forget it," she said. "I should have known talking to you was a waste of time." She started to get up.

"Wait," Paige said. "If you weren't relaying a message from JJ, what exactly did you mean?"

Bev crossed her arms. "Nothing, really. Just… look, every time things start going good for me, something horrible happens. It's like a law of the universe, so it's probably the same for you. So don't get too comfortable in your newfound happiness, because then something really awful could happen to you."

Paige gave Bev a weird look. "Like you would care if it did."

"I would." Bev sighed. "Look, I didn't think you were right for JJ, and honestly I still think you're kind of a stuck up bitch."

"Thanks." Paige turned back around.

"But even though I don't exactly like you," Bev went on, "I'm not a horrible person, so I don't want anything really bad to happen to you. Okay?"

"You sound like my mom. What, did she put you up to this?"

"No. I'm just…" Bev glanced over her shoulder. "Never mind. I have to go." Bev hurried out, leaving Paige to stare, puzzled, at the door.

"Mother of my grandchild?" Jen gave Jill a look. "I don't know who you are, or how you got my son's name, but if you think you're going to extort him for money or anything else with whatever scheme you've cooked up - "

"Whoa, take it easy, Mama Bear." Jill ran her hands through her hair, pushing a couple stray locks behind her ear. "I know this is hard to believe, but your little boy really is a man. Sad to say, he probably doesn't remember it."

"Get away from me," Jennifer told her.

"No, really. Listen. It was probably at the very beginning of the fall, during that big party, you know. I don't know what JJ told you about what went down that night, but I can tell you that when he gets some alcohol and drugs into him...wow, he's a party animal. He was all over me, and I have to admit, I wasn't exactly sober either, so one thing led to another… and then a few days later, along came a bright blue strip on the pregnancy test." Jen shook her head sadly and Jill said, playing up the sweet school girl act, "Look, don't be too mad at him. He's only a freshman in college, and this is what they do. Just sometimes it doesn't work out."

"So my son impregnated you how many months ago and you wait until now to confront him? Why?"

"Well…" Jill tucked some more hair behind her ear. "I thought I had it all together, and didn't need him, you know? I didn't want to ruin his life. Like I said, he was just a college kid who had too much to drink. But when my parents found out, they kicked me out of the house, so I came back to Salem."

"And you're staying where? Please tell me you're someplace safe."

"If you're offering me a place to stay, that's very sweet of you, Mrs. Deveraux, but I don't need it." Jill crossed her arms. "Okay, I did have to spend one night in the park, but then my friend's daughter moved out so a place just opened up for me."

"So you're staying with a friend? Honey, is this friend reliable?"

"I think so. I mean she's older, made her way in the world already. Not like me. Anyway, you might even know her. Her name is Eve, uh…"

"Eve Donovan?" Jennifer was aghast. "Okay, if you were really carrying my son's baby I would tell you to hightail it out of there as soon as possible. Eve Donovan is not responsible or stable-in fact, she's the opposite. But since she most probably put you up to this little scheme, you're welcome to her. I hope the two of you have a good laugh tonight over what you nearly did to me and my son. Now if you'll excuse me, there's some more enjoyable fiction I want to check out across the room." Jen walked off.

Bev hated going home, but she had no choice right now. She didn't have the kind of parents she could tell stuff to, but she had to get her phone canceled and her cash replaced, and her dad would do that much.

He was in his home office, looking at something on the computer, when she knocked. "Beverly!" he said. "What a surprise." He checked his calendar. "Wait, it isn't a break from school, is it? Spring break or whatever?"

"No, silly." Bev came all the way into the room. "Can't I come visit just to visit?"

"You never come around if you don't want something," her father said. There was no hurt or anger attached to it; he just seemed to be stating a fact. "What kind of trouble have you got yourself into now?"

Bev's eyes widened. _If only you knew, _she thought. "Nothing major," she lied. "I, um… stupid me, I left my purse in the student lounge. Don't know where my head was. Anyway… someone gave it back to me but um - "

"Let me guess. Your Good Samaritan helped themselves to all your cash."

Bev nodded. "And my phone."

"Beverly!" her father shook his head. "First of all, I can tell you where your head was at. It was lost in a cloud… a cloud of green smoke." Bev started to say something, but he said, "Don't try to deny it, Beverly. I've known for a long time what you do. I've ignored it, thinking kids will be kids, but you're not a little girl anymore. You're in college, and it's time you started taking responsibility for yourself."

"But Dad, it wasn't like that. I - "

"The answer is no. No, I am not giving you any money to replace whatever was stolen.I will cancel your phone, but it's staying canceled. I'm not paying for another one."

"You don't understand," Bev said softly.

"I think I do. Now, is there anything else?" Bev thought for a minute, then shook her head. "In that case," her father said, "I have work to do. And Beverly, I suggest you stop hanging out with stoners and thieves and start getting your act together. You're a smart, beautiful girl, but if you don't use what you've been given you'll get nowhere in life. You have to start making better decisions or you're going to come to a bad end."

Bev's father turned his back to her. She said, "Dad?" but he didn't answer her. "What if it's not that easy?" she asked. "I mean, what if I can't… what if they won't let me stop hanging out with them?"

"That's not their choice to make. It's yours."

"But it's not that simple!" Bev nearly choked on her own tears. She coughed, then swallowed hard to get in control of herself. "Dad, I can't just - "

Her father looked up, and for a second Bev thought she saw fear in his eyes. But all he said was, "Is there something you need to tell me about what you've been doing?"

Bev shook her head. Her father turned back around, not even asking if she was sure, not saying that he could tell she was in trouble. She could feel him judging her. "You're right," she said. "I have to make some different choices." She stomped off.

Outside his office, she leaned against the wall, remembering Jeff's warning about what might happen if she told anyone what was going on. It didn't matter anyway. Bev was not the type of girl to get involved with the cops voluntarily, and even if she did try to get help, they wouldn't believe her. They'd just act like her dad did and find a way to blame her. Se might even end up in jail like Rory had.

Bev's eyes widened. _Of course_… she thought, and hurried upstairs to change.

Hope played with the cord on her office phone, trying to control her irritation. "You're right, Pete. We don't have a warrant, though I'm sure we could get one. Look, aren't we both on the same side here? Believe me, we don't want to make trouble for Salem U-we want to catch this guy and restore your campus' reputation for safety just as much as you do. What? You know what, I'm sorry you feel that way, but the fact is that violent crime happened on your campus, and you called us for help with it. That's not harassing your students. That's trying to keep them safe." She slammed down the phone.

"Trouble in paradise?" Rafe asked, coming into the doorway of Hope's office.

"You could say that. I have a viable lead-or thought I did, anyway, but that security officer over at Salem U is tired of being inconvenienced by us trying to catch the person who is terrorizing his students."

"All that guy cares about is preserving the illusion that the campus is completely safe so that admissions don't fall." Rafe sighed. "What's the lead? Maybe I can help."

"I was looking through the victim interviews, and every victim except for Rory was attacked right after class. So I thought maybe the attacker is in class with them."

"Yeah. That makes sense. He's probably the kind of guy who blends in, doesn't talk much in class, nobody notices him… then as soon as class is dismissed, he slips out the door, follows a classmate home. So what was it you were trying to get from our friend over at Salem U?"

"Nothing much. Just class lists. You'd think I was asking for the Pentagon papers."

"I can help with that." Rafe took out his phone. "I still have contacts at the FBI-they've got ways around stubborn security guards and the like to get the intel we need."

"Thanks." Hope sighed.

"What?"

Hope glanced at her computer before answering. "Nothing. I'm just tired of getting stonewalled, I guess. We have so few leads on this case as it is, and every time we take a step forward, it seems like someone's in the way. I haven't heard back from Marissa Hunter yet about doing the re-enactment, and she's in the best position to help us. And then this security guard…" Hope shook her head. "I can't help thinking that any minute now, Roman's going to call us in again and tell us that there's nothing more we can do. We're so close, Rafe. We know it's this Jeff character, but we just can't get the proof. And even if he never commits another robbery again, I don't want him getting away with this." She sighed deeply. "I keep seeing the look in Marissa's eyes when we interviewed her. She's been through a lot because of this guy, and so have the other victims. And I'm afraid we're going to end up letting them down."

"We are not going to let them down, Hope. It just takes time, that's all. Look let me make a few calls, and then maybe… a break won't be such a bad thing."

"What do you mean, a break?"

"Look, I don't wanna abandon the case any more than you do, but I think maybe taking a step back will help us see things more clearly. There's plenty of other crime in Salem we could get to work on while we're waiting for some calls back. How about you and me take a ride out to that abandoned motel on the outskirts of town?"

"What, the one the kids all think is haunted?"

"Yeah. There's been isolated reports of vandalism and breakins there again, and it's not Halloween time so we can't even blame people's wild imaginations. I know it's not as exciting - "

"It's not about excitement," Hope said flatly. "It's about doing something for these kids. They're on the cusp of adulthood, away from home for the first time, and they need to know that there's good in the world despite what happened to them."

"I get that." Rafe sat down on the edge of Hope's desk. "Look, no one's talking about giving up. But right now we're stuck, waiting on Jeff making his next move so we can make ours. So let's just get out there and do something to make Salem safer. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and the suspect will be nosing around the same things we are."

A voice behind them said, "Excuse me? Are you... are you talking about the Salem U robber?"

Hope looked up. Bev was standing in the doorway. The girl's clothes looked like they'd been all torn up and she was wearing sunglasses.

"Can I help you?" Hope asked uncertainly, knowing who Bev was and not sure why her gut wasn't telling her that a scam was underway.

Bev nodded. Coming all the way into the office, she said, making herself sound even more scared than she really was, "I, uh, I have info about the guys who are doing it. Want it?" She took off her sunglasses; both her eyes looked bruised, as if she'd been hit recently.

"What happened to you?" Rafe asked her.

Bev bit her lip and made her eyes widen. "Arrest me," she pleaded, "so I can tell you."

Marissa played with her phone as JJ went on strumming the guitar. He stopped, looked at her. "What?" she said.

"I thought you were recording me," JJ said.

"And what if I had been?"

"I dunno. Kinda makes me nervous. I mean, I like playing for you and everything, but the whole world's another story."

"You're good," Marissa said. "Better than you think, and I wish you knew that." She glanced down at the phone. "But no, I wasn't recording you. I was thinking about calling Hope back." She sighed. "You know how I didn't want to talk?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm kind of ready to now."

JJ put the guitar down. Marissa bit her lip. "I don't know where to begin," she said slowly. "No, that's not true. I know exactly what I want to say, but I feel weird asking you for advice when we barely know each other. I just… you're the closest thing I have to a friend, so…"

"Well that's special." JJ sighed. "Seriously, Marissa, look, I know we got off on the wrong foot, and that's probably on me. I just don't want a Paige situation, but uh, yeah, we're friends. I mean, if you want to be."

"I do." Marissa crossed her arms. "Okay, here's the thing. Hope has this idea… she thinks if I like, act out what happened to me, it'll help them catch the guy who did it to me. And I dunno, I mean I know it's not the same as reliving it, but when whatever cop they have working with me grabs me I'm probably gonna freak out." She pulled her pills out of her purse and shook the bag. "Though maybe not since I have to be on these." Marissa shoved the medication back into her bag and said, slowly, while staring at a point over JJ's shoulder. "If I do this it might help stop him from doing to anyone else what he did to me. So maybe I'm being selfish but I just don't want to go through with it. And I guess I'm asking, what do you think?"

"Um," JJ said. "I wish this had never happened to you."

"Well duh, but it did so that's a non-starter."

"I dunno. If you can handle it it's probably a good thing, especially if the cops can tighten their net around the guy cause of it."

"So you're saying I should?"

"I'm not saying anything, except I want them to get him already."

"I don't know that they ever will. I'm sorry, JJ, maybe it's different if you've lived here your whole life, but I'm an outsider, and from what I've seen, I just don't trust the cops to ever close this case."

"Me either," JJ admitted. "But it's gonna be okay, Marissa. Even if they don't get anywhere, I'm gonna get to the bottom of this. This guy's messed with you and with Rory and if he messes with one more person I ca - uh, one more of my friends, he's gonna be sorry."

"Hey." Marissa touched JJ's arm. "No heroics, not on my behalf anyway."

"Don't worry, I'm being careful. But, um… listen, there's something I haven't told you, or anybody really." Marissa's eyes widened but JJ said, "It's nothing bad, I swear. It's just, keep this on the down low cause if too many people know it'll get in the way. I'm interning over at the news station and, uh, my boss, she's helping me conduct an investigation on the side."

"Sounds dangerous," Marissa said, half flirting, half scared for JJ.

"Nah. I mean, a little… but Nicole, she said she wants me to follow her lead so that she can keep me safe. Anyway, the point is, whether the cops get their act together or not, one way or the other, this guy is going down."

"I hope so." Marissa's eyes widened. "So...do you have any idea who he is?"

JJ nodded.

"And?"

"I can't tell you yet."

"Come on!" Marissa's voice rose; for once she could get angry without tears sneaking in. "It's not like I'm going to go off the deep end or anything. But the cops won't tell me their theory either and standing here not knowing anything, not knowing who it is who did this to me… that will drive me crazy." JJ's eyes widened. Marissa blinked hard to control some tears that had sprung into her eyes after all. "I just want to know," she said. "I want to see his picture, to know his name, to find out what the hell kind of animal did this to me. Every night, I feel him grab me when I close my eyes. I hear him whispering threats in my ear. But the face, it's a blank and if I could just match a face to his ghost maybe I could get some peace."

"Don't you think I get that?" JJ crossed his arms. "I feel terrible this happened to you, Marissa. It's not that I think you'd do anything to him, and if you did honestly I wouldn't care."

"Okay…"

"It's just, the pieces aren't fitting together yet. I have a couple ideas who's involved, but my boss, she says we gotta keep them to ourselves til the time's right, otherwise we run the risk of tipping our hand. I… I've kept so many secrets, and it always feels lousy, but Marissa, it's better this way."

"Is it? I mean, I won't do anything...I just want to know."

"I promise that as soon as I get the green light on it, I'll tell you. You'll know even before the cops do. Good enough?"

"I guess it has to be."

JJ's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, then packed up his guitar. Marissa's heart beat fast-had she gone too far? "JJ, wait," she said. "Please."

"I gotta go to work," JJ told her.

"I know. I just… look, I hate that my attack or your past or whatever is always between us. I want us to end things on a good note just once. I… I'm rambling and you have to go."

"Yeah. You are."

"What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry. Can we, like, do this the way normal people do and um... " Marissa took a deep breath, then said quickly, "How about we forget about all of this and go do something later?"

JJ bit his lip, and Marissa wasn't sure if she'd gone too far or not. "I really gotta go," JJ said, "but uh maybe I'll call you later?"

"Where'd that girl go?" T asked, sliding in behind the counter and dumping the dustpan into the trash. Paige shrugged. "She was bothering you, wasn't she?"

"Not really," Paige said. "I've learned after lots of bad experiences with her not to let anything she says get to me."

"If you want, I'll call Sonny and let him know to put her photo on our Wall of Shame."

"Wall of Shame?" Paige giggled. "What?"

T gestured to a blank wall behind the register. "Every bar has one. People who harass customers deserve to be publicly shamed. Of course, ours is kind of blank, but if that girl is chasing away a pretty… I mean, a good customer like you, there's no reason she shouldn't be the first."

"That's not necessary, trust me." Paige smiled.

"Whoa," T said. "Two smiles in an afternoon. You know, I hope you don't mind me saying so, but your smile just lights up your entire face."

Paige blushed. "Really?"

"Really. So, uh, let's forget about that girl. Where were we?"

Paige looked down at the bar, not sure what to say. T said, "That's right. You were pouring your heart out to me about your troubles with JJ and I was offering to take your mind off it by taking you to a basketball game."

Daniel had got Victor to agree to some private time with Parker so that he and Chloe could talk in the hall outside the room. Daniel leaned against the wall now, his arms crossed. "So when exactly were you planning on telling me that Philip is back in your life?"

"I wanted to see how things were going to go with him and Parker first," Chloe said, "but obviously that was before our son developed a life threatening heart condition. Speaking of which, can we table the judgment and the arguing until we know for sure that Parker's going to be okay?"

"No judgment," Daniel said. Chloe glared at him. "Really. Look, even if I wanted to I couldn't say much, not after the number of times Jennifer and I have gone back and forth."

"You're right," Chloe said, "but even though it was terrible for Parker for her to be in and out of your life, I didn't say anything, because that was for you to work out with him someday. And again, that was B.H."

"B.H.?"

"Before heart condition. Why are we still talking about this?"

"Because," Daniel said, "whatever happened between me and Philip in the past, that's ancient history. And because I want to see the mother of my son happy, even though everything was over between us a long time ago. And most of all, Chloe, most of all… I want to make sure that Parker is okay, no matter what you decide. So please tell me… please tell me you're gonna make sure it's permanent before you bring Philip back into Parker's life. The poor little guy's been through enough without getting attached to someone who might get distracted by the next shiny thing."

"You mean like Jennifer did?" Chloe bit her lip. "Look, Daniel, we can either stand in the hall and have a knock-down fight to the death about who gets to judge more about the other's relationship, or we can do what I said in the first place and forget it for now. I mean, with Parker like this you haven't heard me tell you that you and Nicole are better off just as friends, have you?"

"Nicole? What…. she and I are friends again, Chloe, and if you've heard anything other than that, it's a straight out lie."

"Hit a nerve, didn't I?" Chloe's eyes widened. "So, still want to go on like this, or should we talk about something a little more relevant, like what we should do about this big test Parker's supposed to get?"

"So, update… is your girl on board or not?" Jeff asked Cole. They were sitting in Cole's living room sharing some beers.

Cole hesitated. "I dunno. She's so hard to read."

"Don't give me that BS." Jeff tilted his head back to down his beer. "Either she's with us or not. And if she's not, you know what you need to do."

"Chill. I got insurance." Cole lifted his shirt to show Jeff the butt of the gun sticking out of his pants.

Jeff shuddered. "Glad it's you and not me. You know I hate those things. You really have the guts to use it on her if it comes down to it?"

"Doesn't matter. I won't have to. I don't think she's got balls enough to defy me if she's looking down the barrel of this baby." Cole dropped his shirt again. "Enough about her, dude. I wanted to ask you something else." Cole sipped his beer. "We need to shift our base of operations. This apartment's too small and too public. If we do have to take care of...anybody, we need a place that's out of the way."

"Don't worry, dude," Jeff said. "I'm a step ahead of you, as usual. I got a place, and maybe you'll see it after we put some plans into motion." He handed Cole a small phone. "Give this to your girl. Here's what I want her to do with it."

"A basketball game?" Paige asked.

"Okay, I guess it was a lame idea. But I - "

"No, I'd love to! As long as - " Paige's phone buzzed. She glanced down at it. "Damn it. That's my mom. I'd better take it."

T sighed. "Really," Paige reassured him. "I'll explain in a minute." She answered the phone. "Hi, Mom."

"Where are you baby?" Eve's voice was so loud Paige was sure T could hear her through the phone.

"I'm on my way back with your medicine. I… sorry, I lost track of time. I stopped to - "

"What's that noise in the background? You're not going out clubbing, are you?"

"What? Mom, no. I just stopped for a soda."

"Are you sure that's not all you stopped for? You didn't decide to hook up with JJ again, did you? Or some other boy?"

"I will be there in fifteen minutes to drop off your medicine and get my things. Goodbye." Paige hung up.

"Wow," T said.

"Sorry. My mom is a little… well, she cares about me a lot. Maybe too much." Paige sighed. "I didn't want your paths to cross until the time was right, which I'm sure you think is never after overhearing that stupid little exchange."

"Doesn't bother me any." T smiled. "Look, Paige, we're adults. And everyone has at least one crazy parent. So anyway, the important thing is… you do want to come to that game?"

"Sure," Paige said. "I mean, it's just a game, right?" She slid off her stool. "I, uh, I hate to leave, but my mom will have an aneurysm if I don't get her this medicine, like yesterday."

"Do what you have to do," T said. "Just leave me your number so I can text you the details. It's kinda hard to do that without your digits."

"Right," Paige said. She wrote out her number for him before she left.

T picked up the piece of paper. As he put Paige's number into his phone, he said, "Just a game. Right."

"What do you mean, arrest you?" Rafe asked Bev. "What did you do?"

"I'm sure you can find a reason. It doesn't matter." Bev blinked back tears.

"Look, either you have information or you don't. So how about you stop playing games and tell us what's going on?"

Bev looked nervously around. Rafe nodded at Hope and she closed the door. "Have a seat," Hope told Bev. Bev sat down and hugged herself. "Does this have to do with whoever did this to you?" Hope asked.

Bev nodded. "I don't have time for the whole story," she said. "But…" she blinked hard again, but a tear escaped anyway. "The thing is - "

"Wait a second," Rafe said. He handed Bev a tissue. "Wipe your eyes, please."

"Why?"

"Because something about those black eyes isn't right, and if you look in the mirror I think you'll see what I mean."

Bev had no choice but to do as she was told. The makeup she'd so carefully put around her eyes came off onto the tissue.

"You're lying to us," Rafe said. "Wasting our time, pretending something's happened to you that didn't."

"Then arrest me for that!" Bev shouted, desperate to get their attention. "I mean, that has to be a crime, right?" Hope and Rafe looked at each other. "Please," Bev cried, "you don't understand."

"You're right, we don't," Rafe said. "So why don't you explain to us why you're so desperate to get into a jail cell."

Bev looked at Hope. She shook her head slowly and said, "It's not like you're going to believe me anyway. I shouldn't have come here." She started to get up.

"Wait a second," Hope said, putting her hand on Bev's shoulder. "You obviously went to a lot of trouble to get our attention. So even though nobody's beaten you up-yet-something's going on. Tell us who's got you scared."

"Nobody," Bev lied. She turned her back to Hope, blinking back more tears. "Forget it."

"That's why you want us to arrest you," Hope said slowly. "You want to make it so this guy can't hurt you anymore before you really do end up with two black eyes. Honey, we can protect you, but you have to tell us what's going on."

"Please..." Bev said. "If I tell you I can't show my face anywhere in Salem again. The only way I can talk is if you lock me up." She glanced at the clock behind Hope's desk. "Oh my God, it's way later than I thought. I'd better go meet my boyfriend before he figures out where I've been." She picked up her purse and walked slowly out..

Rafe and Hope looked at each other. "See if you can get one of the uniforms to tail her," Hope said. "Someone's got that girl spooked, and I have a feeling it might be Jeff."

Rafe shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea. Whoever's abusing her probably told her there'd be hell to pay if she talked to us. That's why she hightailed it out of here."

"We can't just do nothing. She came to us for help, even if she wasn't able to get her story out to us."

Rafe nodded. "I know. Nobody's talking about abandoning her, Hope. I got a better idea, that's all. Something Rory said… I think I might know who she's running off to meet. Let me do some digging. As soon as I got a name, we'll go get the bastard."

"I hope it's not too late."

"Yeah," Rafe said, staring at the doorway to Hope's office. "Me too."

"You're right," Daniel said. "Our screwed up relationships are not… they're not important right now."

"Yeah. So, Parker's test?"

Daniel sighed. "I'm not comfortable with it. I put people under every day, I know all the risks… and if he needs surgery, if he absolutely needs it, then yes he should have it. But to have him go through that just to see what the best treatment course is… there has to be a way around it."

Chloe nodded. "My dad said that it's a standard procedure, but that's what doctors say to patients, isn't it? I mean, ones they don't know. Parker's his grandson, not just any patient. I don't want to go with what's standard or ordinary or whatever. I want to go with what's best for him."

"Tell you what. I'll do some more research into this. Also, uh, I dunno how to bring this up…"

Chloe crossed her arms. "Better get it over with and tell me then."

"Victor, uh, he offered to get us one of the world's top heart doctors. Dr. Collins, she doesn't come up to his standards."

Chloe's eyes widened. "Please tell me you jumped at the chance."

Daniel shook his head slightly.

"Why? Shouldn't we get Parker the best?"

"I looked into Dr. Collins and she's good. But it's more than that. Victor, he loves Parker and he would do anything for him, but I can't help thinking… as much as he puts up a good front, Victor's just as scared as we are, and this is just him throwing his money around to try to fix something he can't fix. I just don't think this specialist, whoever they are, is gonna do anything for us that Dr. Collins can't, and if we take her off the case it's just gonna cause bad feelings, for what?"

"Who cares about her feelings?" Daniel raised his eyebrow and Chloe said, "Okay, maybe on some level we care about her, but not compared to our son. I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Victor. Fly in the specialist."

Daniel crossed his arms. "And what if his specialist doesn't tell him what we all want to hear? Then what?"

"Then at least we still have the best on the case. Come on, Daniel, if it were any other patient…"

"If it were any other patient, I'd be looking at it from a doctor's perspective. It's different when it's your son." Daniel sighed. "No, I get it, Chloe. I really do. Look, if he really does need surgery, yes, let Victor sponsor the best surgeon he can find. But why play that card now? I trust Kayla and Dr. Collins is backing her up."

"And you don't like Victor getting involved. Do you think I do?" Chloe's eyes were wide and shiny. "But come on, Daniel, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth, even if it comes from Victor Kiriakis. If you don't tell him to go ahead, I will, and you know that won't be pretty."

Eve was pacing back and forth in her living room, trying not to think about whether Paige was going to show up or not. _Stop it, _she thought, picking up her phone. _She said she would be here soon, and you've never known Paige to lie, now have you?_ She flipped through pictures of Paige on her phone, trying not to think about how much her daughter had changed

There was a loud knock on the door. Eve threw the phone down, ignoring the fear that shot through her. Paige was fine, of course she was fine. She put her hair behind her ear and answered the door.

It wasn't anybody other than that Jennifer Horton, who said, "Eve, I don't know what you think you're doing now but - "

"You know what?" Eve said, trying to keep calm. "My daughter has finally come to her senses and removed your son and his negative influence from her life, so that means I no longer have to put up with you and your tirades. Come back when you're in your right mind, which knowing you, is going to be never."

Jennifer pushed her way in anyway. "I don't know what happened between JJ and Paige, but I do know one thing. My son didn't father any baby, and for you to take advantage of some poor pregnant girl to try to get her to convince me that her baby belongs to JJ… that's low even for you."

"Excuse me?" Eve's eyes widened and she played with a stray lock of hair. "I know you think your children walk on water, Jennifer, but maybe this should be your wakeup call. Now I feel terrible that you had to find out this way, really I do,but the fact of the matter is, your son is more out of control than he ever has been. He's impregnating prostitutes and leaving them to fend for themselves, Jennifer! What kind of parent…" Eve's phone buzzed; she almost dropped it on the floor trying to get to it. "What kind of parent lets their child get away with one thing after another, always making excuses for them? Now if my Paige did half the things your JJ has gotten into - "

"I already know what you'd do, Eve, so don't even go there. You're already trying to control her life, so I can't imagine what you'd do if she was actually in trouble. That must be why she moved out, right?"

Eve gasped. "How dare you, Jennifer Horton? You… you think you're so perfect when you've got two kids and one of them slept with EJ Dimera and the other one is a hopeless delinquent. At least my daughter is going somewhere in life. At least…" Eve glanced at her phone again. "At least my daughter…"

Jen stared at her. "What is wrong with you?" she said, but she didn't sound angry anymore. "No snappy comeback, no more insults. Okay, Eve, what's going on between you and Paige?"

"Nothing," Eve insisted, but Jen gave her a disbelieving look. "Okay, fine, gloat about it Jennifer, since that's what you came over here to do. You're right, Paige moved out, but she's coming back any minute. Just to visit, mind you, but she'll be here. You'll see! She may be spreading her wings some but she knows how important I am to her! She'll be around all the time! Not like your son if he ever gets the courage to break ties with you!"

"Is she really?" Jen asked. "Or is that just in your head?"

"She's on her way back from the pharmacy. I have a text to prove it. Though she should have been back an hour ago." Eve sunk down into the couch. "Anyway, any minute now she'll be turning her key in the lock, and I'd appreciate it if you took yourself back home before she gets here."

"Here it is," Rafe said, pointing to a line in his notes. "Rory said he was watching two kids make out in the woods when the robber came up behind him. I didn't think anything of it at the time, figured it was just some ridiculous drama that had nothing to do with the case."

"But now you're thinking otherwise?"

Rafe nodded. "I'd bet almost anything that the girl who just ran out of here was the same one Rory had his eye on. Now, he wouldn't give me her name, said she didn't see anything, but he did let slip that her boyfriend's bad news. Said the kid's name was Cole."

Hope frowned. "Did he say anything else?"

"He was reluctant and I didn't press. Like I said, at the time I didn't think it was important." Rafe scanned Hope's face. "You got any intel on this Cole character?"

"If he's the one I'm thinking of, yes. We've had more run-ins with him than I care to remember. Mostly petty stuff, but there's something about that kid I just don't like."

"Hmm… let me run by you what I'm thinking and you tell me if he's capable of this." Hope nodded and Rafe said, "We were thinking the attack on Rory was more personal. So maybe this Cole guy, he's the one with the grudge. He hooks up with Jeff, they start robbing people together. Maybe Cole has something personal against all the victims, I dunno. The point is, they're in it together and when it comes to Rory, Cole drags his girlfriend into it. Now maybe she knew what was going down, maybe she didn't, but Cole arranges it so he and the girl are kissing in front of Rory, knowing Rory won't like it… and while he's busy trying to decide what to do about it, Jeff grabs him. Sound like something Cole could do?"

"It's within the realm of possibility." Hope reached for her phone. "Let's bring Roman up to speed, see how he wants us to move forward." Just then, her cell rang. She glanced at it. "I gotta take this."

"Go for it. I'll go talk to the boss." Rafe got up.

"Hi Marissa," Hope said into the phone. "Thank you for getting back to me. What did you decide? Great. I'm glad you feel comfortable enough, and we will definitely have Dr. Evans here to make sure you're all right. See you tomorrow. Oh and Marissa? Make sure you take it easy tonight. We will catch this guy. I promise."

Cole paced back and forth. "I dunno, man. This sounds like a bad idea. I mean, if we get caught, we're both gonna do federal time, and we won't see the light of day til we're like, too old for life to be worth it."

"You're not getting cold feet on me, are you?" Jeff crossed his arms. "Come on, dude. You weren't worried about getting caught when we started the robberies."

"That was different. This… I dunno, man. Paige isn't like Bev. Anything happens to her, we'll have half of Salem on our butts, eager to get a piece of us. Plus I don't get what you want with her anyway."

"That's for me to worry about!" Jeff snapped. "What, you're gonna turn tail on me now? You and that girl of yours?"

"Dude! Haven't I been at your side this whole time? Look, I don't care about Paige. She's just a stuck up loser who used to date another loser. I'm just saying, is she worth the risk, man?"

"Sorry." Jeff took some deep breaths. "I'm a little on edge these days."

"We can fix that pretty easily. We have those joints we took off Bev."

"Nah." Jeff curled and uncurled his fists. "I'll be okay. And yeah, she's worth the risk, cause we can pin this on JJ… he'll lose his girl and his freedom all at once. But all you have to know, dude, is there's a lot of money in this, a lot more than we got out of those stupid little robberies. Now are you in or not?"

Cole's eyes darted back and forth. "Dude, stop being so paranoid. I'm on your side, I swear."

"You'd better be. Because remember, if I go down, so do you… and so does your girl. Speaking of which, go meet her. It's time to put things in motion." Jeff handed Cole the prepaid phone. "You remember what you gotta do, or should I go with you?"

Cole took the phone. "I'm cool, dude."

"Good." Jeff cracked open another beer and handed it to Cole. "Take a sip to bolster up your courage, then get out of here." Cole downed the beer, then swung his backpack over his shoulder. Jeff said, "One more thing, Cole. Girls come and go, you know? You don't owe anything to the one you got. If she gets out of hand, remember that."

After brushing her teeth, Marissa opened the pill bottle and took out a pill. It looked so tiny in the palm of her hand. She shook her head and glanced at herself in the mirror. Her hair was stringy and there were dark circles under her eyes. She glanced down at the pill and said, softly, "Can you really fix all this, tiny little pill?" She filled her water glass and downed the pill.

_After she had stood up in class against psychiatric drugs, Marissa thought at least some people would thank her or agree with her, but when class was dismissed everyone shuffled off without a word. For the next few days, it seemed like everyone was avoiding her, though maybe it was her imagination. If she sat down at a table in the cafeteria, people got up. In class, she was always surrounded by empty seats. In the dorm, she felt like she was always alone in the elevator, always alone in the hall, and even the RA didn't answer her door when Marissa knocked on it._

Marissa looked in the mirror again. Tears were rolling down her face, tears with no feelings attached. _Stupid me,_ she thought, staring into the mirror. _Stupid, ugly me thinking JJ Deveraux-or anybody-would ever want to do anything with me. _She knocked a bunch of stuff off her counter; her makeup container shattered, spreading powder all over the floor. Marissa stepped in the powder, not caring, as she headed to bed.

"Here," Cole said, handing Bev the phone Jeff had given him. The trees cast a shadow over Bev's face so that he could barely see her reaction. "Hope you're happy with a basic phone, cause that's all you're getting. This is so we can get ahold of you. And also, we need you to make a call."

"Who?" Bev flipped the phone open, then closed it again.

"Paige Larson." Cole giggled. "Seems you're in trouble and she's the only one who can help you."

Bev's eyes narrowed. "Why?"

"None of your business." Cole scowled. "Don't make me remind you of our deal, Bev."

"I'm just asking. I like to know what I'm getting into."

Cole advanced towards Bev. "Look, bitch," he said, "the only reason you're not locked up in my apartment right now is cause you put on a good act for Jeff, said you would help us get certain people where they needed to be. Well, we need Paige to come to this park tonight. And that's all you need to know, understand?"

Bev backed up a step. "And what if I say no?"

"You don't want to do that, Bev," Cole said. He reached out and ran his hands through her hair. "Come on baby, don't hurt yourself this way. Just do what you're told, no questions asked, okay?" Bev bit her lip and Cole said, softly, "If you were to disappear, nobody would miss you, not even that loser friend of yours. Jeff would be free to do whatever he wanted to you. So it' s better you just go along with us. Besides, since when does your heart bleed for Paige? Like you've always said, she's a stuck up bitch who has it coming."

Bev hesitated. The right thing to do was… hell, there was no right thing anymore. She should have told the cops everything, but what good would it have done anyway?

"You're right," Bev said. "Paige isn't worth anything. Give me the number."

Sally and Nicole were bent over Sally's computer, looking at something, when JJ came in. "What's up?" he asked. "More dog pictures?"

Nicole smiled, but she said, "Not this time, unfortunately."

"Someone out there doesn't like you, or doesn't like that you were hired," Sally told JJ. "Ever since we brought you on this morning, suddenly our inbox has been flooded with anonymous tips about all sorts of crazy things, and we have to read through every single one of them to make sure we don't miss anything legitimate. Come here and I'll show you."

JJ came over to the computer. Sally showed him her screen, which was full of emails marked _Response to Tip Form. _She clicked on one to open it. "As you can see, it says the tipster is anonymous and it's really vague. 'Salem's not as sleepy as you think. Come to Horton Town Square and you'll see.' That sort of thing."

"And you don't - "

"We," Nicole corrected him. "You're part of the team now, remember? And no, we get some of this sort of crap every day but nothing ever approaches the volume we've gotten today. Someone wants to overwhelm the system, probably in the hopes you'll get bored enough to walk out on us. Which you're not going to do, right?"

"No way." JJ sat down next to Sally. "So we really have to read these? I mean, can't we delete them and just start again?"

"Don't let Miles hear you suggest that we shouldn't take every anonymous email seriously," Sally told him. "He'll think you're trying to take shortcuts and throw a fit. And besides that, there's no way to tell whether or not these tips are worthwhile til we read them. So even though it might take all night, we gotta sit here and sift through them."

JJ bit his lip as he read the first one. "Give you three guesses who's sending these."

"Of course it's Jeff," Nicole said. "That's the other reason I want you to help us." She sat down on the edge of the desk. "People like Jeff will do whatever they can to try to make you miserable. I'm sure your mom would say just ignore them, but in the real world, that just makes things worse."

"I noticed," JJ agreed.

"I'm sure you're as sick of living in the bullying capital of the free world as I am," Nicole told him. "Think of this as standing your ground and maybe you'll actually fool yourself into liking it. Plus, the good news is, when idiots like Jeff start focusing on making your life miserable, they forget to be careful. Somewhere in all this garbage he sent today, he told us something you can use for a major exclusive and he doesn't even know it."

Paige's phone rang just as she got into the lobby. _Dammit Mom, I'm coming, _she thought, pressing the up button before she picked up. "Yeah?"

"Is this a bad time?" Bev asked. She sounded like she was holding back tears.

"Why are you calling me?" Paige demanded.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Bev said, and she was definitely crying. "I know we're not friends or anything, and that's all my fault, but I don't have anywhere else to turn."

"What's wrong?" Paige was impatient but softening. She pressed the up button for the elevator.

"I don't have anybody," Bev said, pouring on the tears. "That's why I was so jealous of you when you were with JJ. Anyway, after I left today I went to my dad's and he wouldn't even talk to me, and…" Bev sobbed… "and I realized all of a sudden my life is a big mess and...and I just think it might be best if I end it all."

Paige squeezed the phone. "Where are you?" she asked.

"I'm… I'm, oh God, I don't know… I'm in Riverfront Park… just walking and walking…"

"Stay right there," Paige said. "I know we're not really friends or anything, but I'm coming." She got off the phone, texted her mom, and went in the other direction.

JJ couldn't help letting out a sigh as he clicked on yet another tip email.

"Nothing juicy yet, huh?" Sally asked. Nicole had gone to the studio, as it was time for her broadcast, so she and JJ were alone in the office.

"Nope. The guy can't even be creative in his pranking us. These are all the same. 'Expose the underbelly of Salem in Horton Town Square.' 'Expose the underbelly of Salem in Riverfront Park.' How stupid does he think we are?"

"About as stupid as he is," Sally remarked. "I'm sorry you have to spend your first evening with us doing the garbage work. I promise it'll get better once you pay your dues."

"I don't get it."

Sally smiled at JJ. "That's an industry term. Basically the lowest one on the totem pole-that's you, in case you were wondering-has to do all the not-so-fun stuff for a while. But once you prove yourself, you'll move up some and leave this all behind. I won't be surprised if by summer Nicole has you preparing the broadcasts or even going on the air with her."

"On the air?" JJ sounded surprised.

"Does that make you nervous?" Sally asked. "It's okay if it does. That's why I'm back here all the time instead of on air myself. I have terrible stage fright."

JJ deleted another couple of bad tips, hoping Sally didn't notice that he'd deleted two instead of just one. "It's not that. It's just, I wasn't planning on it. I mean, maybe with my guitar someday… but I know I'm probably not good enough for that."

"So you're a musician?" Sally asked. "Very cool."

"I mess around with the guitar a little."

Sally nodded. "Well, tell you what, JJ. You do all of these properly-and that means reading every single one-and I'll hook you up with some people on the entertainment side. Let's see if we can't get you and that guitar on the stage after all."

"Really?" JJ's eyes were wide.

"Mmm hmm. But you gotta hold up your end. That means, no more deleting without reading. Remember, you gotta pay your dues."

JJ slumped down in his seat, but he opened the next tip. "Whoa…" he said as he read it. His mouth dropped open and he looked scared. "Sally?" he said, trying to sound normal. "Uh, I think you'd better read this one."

Cole grinned as Bev hung up the phone. "So she's on her way?"

Bev wiped her eyes and nodded.

"Good," Cole said. He looked at Bev, and his eyes were full of admiration. "That was impressive. I wasn't sure you had it in you, baby, but you even fooled me for a second." He leaned forward like he was going to kiss Bev.

Bev backed away. "I've done your dirty work. Can I go now?"

"I don't think so," Cole scowled. "You've been giving me a lot of attitude lately, and it makes me wonder who's side you're on."

"I told you I would help, didn't I? "

Cole grabbed Bev by the arm. "Shut up," he said under his breath, twisting it. "I've had enough of your mouth."

"Let go of me," Bev said, struggling.

Cole tightened his grip. "I said, shut up!" He reached under his shirt. "You don't want to listen to me, ever… well maybe this will change your mind." He pulled out the gun and pointed it at Bev; by the time she got what was going on, he'd shoved it into her ribs.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight til this thing is done," Cole said, "and maybe not after that. We'll see."

Bev's eyes widened. "Cole, please - "

"Shut up and move," Cole ordered, pushing Bev towards the bushes. "You wanted to know what we're up to so bad, well now you'll get to see it." Bev looked around, but the park was deserted, so she had no choice but to let Cole take her behind the bushes to hide.

Victor sat at Parker's bedside, watching the boy sleep. Parker's eyes opened, then closed again. Victor sighed.

"I hate to see you laid up in a hospital bed like this," Victor told Parker. "I guess you're lucky in a way. Nowadays we have all these… machines and technology and things I don't even know how to explain to keep people from dropping off the planet quite so quickly." Victor smiled slightly at the boy. "I'll tell you something, though, Parker, machines or no machines, you're going to be fine. You know how I know? Because _Κυριακής_ -" (Victor used the Greek pronunciation of his last name) "are survivors. I once had a stroke, was told I would never speak again, and now this town is full of people who would love to see me shut up." Victor glanced at the door to make sure Daniel wasn't coming back yet. He dropped his voice a little and said, "Even though according to all the paperwork you're a Jonas and a whatever the hell your mother is, you have the heart of a _Κυριακής _and damn it, you're family. So hurry up and get better so you can show the world what you're made of, you understand?"

Maggie came in and put her hand on Victor's shoulder. "So this is the business you had at the hospital today," she said softly.

"I had a few minutes to spare after a meeting, so I thought I might as well look in on the boy."

"Mmm hmm. So how's he doing?"Maggie took Victor's hand. "And just as importantly, how are you doing?"

Victor squeezed her hand back. "You don't ever have to worry about me. I'll probably still be standing when this hospital crumbles to pieces. As for Parker, I have no doubt after he finishes sleeping off this illness, he'll be stronger than ever. He has to be. He's related to at least one of us."

The door opened again and Daniel came back in. "Ah ha!" Victor said. "So the witch has flown off on her broomstick to parts unknown, has she?"

"Victor," Maggie said. "Parker may wake up at any second and little pitchers have big ears, especially where their mothers are concerned."

"He knows I call it as I see it," Victor objected. "Besides, it's good for him to develop a tough skin. With Chloe for a mother he'll need one."

"Chloe and I are sharing custody," Daniel said, calmly, as if Victor hadn't said anything negative. "Last night she stayed in the hospital and I went home. Now, it's my turn. And that's the last I want to hear about it." He turned towards Victor. "Change of subject. That specialist, uh, the one you said you could fly in… is that offer still good?"

"Of course."

"I guess you can go ahead and fly them in."

"I'm delighted you have come to your senses about this," Victor said, getting up to shake Daniel's hand. "Dr. Jarvik will be here tomorrow. I knew you would eventually see the light, so I already took the liberty of calling him while you were powwowing with Chloe."

Cole was running his free hand through Bev's hair while holding the gun against her side with his other hand. "Ssh," he whispered. "It'll be over soon, Bev, I promise."

"How can you do this to me?" Bev asked, her voice cracking. "You're talking to me like you love me and until today I thought you did. But you're making me do these horrible things, things I don't want to do, and now you're holding a gun on me?"

"Don't blame me for that, okay?" Cole snapped. "You knew from the start what I expect from my girl. But you couldn't ever leave well enough alone. You had to spy on me and get yourself caught up in it. You play, you pay. I didn't want to hurt you but I can't help it that you got in over your head. If you'd just stayed out of my business it never would have come to this."

Bev's eyes widened. There was only one way to get out of this, and it made her sick to do it. She lowered her voice, seductively, and said, "You're right. I was a bad girl." Cole didn't respond. Bev reached up and stroked his stubble. "I promise if you let me go, I'll make it up to you."

Cole grabbed her wrist. "Don't try it," he said, pulling her arm down and behind her back. "There's only one way to make it up, and that's to start going along with the plan. Understand?"

Bev nodded.

Just then, they heard footsteps, and Paige called, "Bev? Are you still here?" Cole grabbed Bev and pulled her onto his lap, clamping his free hand over her mouth and whispering, "Stay quiet, bitch."

On the other side of the bushes, Paige walked slowly around, looking over her shoulder. "Bev?" She picked up her phone and began to send a text.

Jeff slipped out from behind a tree as Paige squinted at the display. It was so dark she could barely see. She tried her best to type anyway.

Coming up behind her, Jeff shoved his hand over Paige's mouth and pressed his knife against her throat. As Paige put her hands up, her phone dropped to the ground, cracking the screen. The display read:

_Bev, it's Paige. I'm here in the park. Are you okay?_


	10. Chapter 10

In the bushes, Cole poked Bev with the gun. "I think you've seen enough. Get up."

"Cole, please," Bev said as she stood. "I helped you get her like you asked, and… and if you love me, you won't - "

"How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet? Don't you learn?" Cole pulled Bev's other arm behind her so he could tie her up. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't let you go now. Not after what you've seen."

Bev winced. "I won't tell, I swear. I - "

"Forget it. You blew it, Bev. You would have got a cut of the money and a little something else, but you couldn't follow some simple directions. Now you're going to have to pay the price."

"You said I could make it up to you." Bev was getting desperate. "I'll do whatever you say, no questions asked."

"Too late," Cole said, his voice cold and hard. Bev shivered, wondering where the boy she thought she knew had disappeared to. "I told you, if you don't listen, Jeff's gonna do whatever he wants to you, and I won't stop him." He poked the gun into Bev's back. "Now start walking."

Daniel crossed his arms. "Excuse me?"

"Come on, Daniel. Nothing's wrong with your hearing." Victor grimaced. "I could tell you weren't thinking clearly. Who could, with a son in the hospital and Chloe breathing down their neck? Somebody had to take the initiative on this, and I could see it wasn't going to be you. And before you give me some claptrap about needing Chloe's approval, if you had to wait for that vixen to make up her mind, Parker would be lying in limbo until he was old enough to vote."

"I know you mean well, Victor, but to… to go behind my back… I cannot believe that you have so little respect for me that you would - "

"Respect? Parker's condition really has addled your brain, hasn't it? Of course I respect you. Chloe's another story but you… come on, Daniel, if I didn't respect you do you think I would have put so much time and energy - "

"And money."

"You know what? The proper response to a gift is thank you, and I know that George and Lillian taught you that when you were younger than Parker. I had the privilege of watching you grow up, Daniel, and I have no doubt that if you were in Parker's position, they wouldn't have thought twice about accepting help from me. How you became this person who puts pride above everything else is beyond me. You lost Jennifer to your refusal to put your ego aside, but the good news is that she's still living and breathing so you can still change your mind. But I'll be damned if you'll let Parker - "

"Victor," Daniel began but Maggie piped up from behind Victor, "That's enough."

Victor turned towards Maggie, half smiling, though there was anger in his eyes.

"I mean it," Maggie said. "All this bickering doesn't change the fact that Parker's still sick. At times like these, families have to hold onto each other, give each other strength, and the two of you are tearing each other to pieces over who decided what when. It seems to me that both of you have too much pride to back down and admit maybe you aren't handling things the best way. Well, I won't stand for it. Victor, you're just going to have to sit down and tell Parker a few more stories about the great things you expect from him in the future, because Daniel and I are going to go have a cup of coffee."

"Mom," Daniel protested, "not everything in the world can be solved with coffee."

"Not another word," Maggie said. "Come on."

Daniel looked at Victor, who shrugged. "You know Maggie," Victor said. "Once she gets something in her head, even I'm no match for her." Daniel sighed, defeated. "Parker will be fine," Victor said. "We're gonna have a good time talking about how to end up on top in this ruthless world of ours." Maggie gave him a look and he said, "Relax, Maggie, that was a joke. But go on, get out of here, forget this whole disaster for a minute."

Daniel kissed Parker on the top of the forehead. "I'll be back soon, buddy. I promise." He left with Maggie, but turned, lingering in the doorway for a moment, watching his son.

Sally looked over JJ's shoulder, reading the tip. He turned to look at her. "This is big, right?"

"Yeah. This tip… this is a real one." Sally squeezed her hands together.

"So what do we do now?" JJ asked excitedly. "I mean, we can't exactly ask the guy whether he sent it, right?"

"Right." Sally's voice was strangely flat. "Um," she said, looking to see if Nicole was coming back yet, "in cases like this, uh, sometimes… we call the police."

"Call the cops?" JJ sounded disappointed.

"I know, it's not very exciting. But part of being a journalist is being responsible. When a tip comes in that suggests someone might get hurt… we can't just go chase after the story and not worry about the consequences." She glanced towards the door again. "Even though Miles might feel differently. But he's not here, and what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Why?" JJ asked. "What would your boss do?"

"_Our_ boss?" Sally laughed. "He'd do whatever he thinks gets the highest ratings. And don't you dare tell him I said that." She smiled, then the smile faded away. "Go home, JJ. Me and Nicole can take care of calling the cops, and then tomorrow when there's more of a story - "

"No way." JJ stared at the computer screen. "I know Nicole, and there's no way she's leaving this to the cops, so neither am I. Besides, there's like 6,000 other tips here I gotta get through."

"Those can wait," Sally told him. "You found your nugget of gold, take a break from the trash."

"Fine. Then let me see if I can track down where he sent it from."

Sally shook her head. "You don't quit, do you?"

"Nicole didn't hire me cause she wanted a pushover." JJ clicked on something with the mouse. "Besides, if I run home just cause Jeff sent some stupid threat, he wins. I learned a long time ago not to be afraid of people like him, and I'm not backing down now."

"JJ - " Sally began.

Nicole came in just then. "I see the excitement started the second I left the room, as usual," she said. "So fill me in-what is it you're not backing down from?"

"And you think," Roman said to Rafe, "that there's a definite connection between this incident and the robberies?"

"If I were a betting man, I'd put everything on it," Rafe said. "I mean, it's not 100%, but nothing ever is, Roman, you know that. And it's just too much of a coincidence that the stoner kid was focusing on that same girl and guy at the time of his attack. I mean, weirder things have happened, but to me this smells like a set-up, and I think we should check it out."

Just then, Hope knocked, then stuck her head into the office. "Sorry to interrupt," she said, "but we got the green light on the re-enactments for tomorrow."

"So that was Marissa Hunter?" Rafe asked. "I knew she'd come through for us."

Roman smiled for the first time in about a month. "Good. It's about time we had something resembling a break in this case. Hope, why don't you step in here for a minute? I want to pick your brains about this girl you just interviewed."

Hope came in, closing the door behind her. "Of course," she said as she sat down.

"Now Rafe here seems to think there's a connection between her and the robberies. You concur?"

"Whatever else is going on, she's definitely being abused. And Rafe's theory fits in with what I know of Cole Richards. I could pull his file for you, but it would probably take all night to read. In and out of trouble, usually petty stuff-shoplifting, drugs, that sort of thing. My cousin Jennifer still gets alarmed if she even hears Cole's name. He has had it in for JJ since JJ came back to Salem, and the fact that JJ's sobered up now has just made Cole hate him that much more."

Roman nodded slowly. "Have you ever known him to be violent?"

"We've got him on public fighting more than once, but nothing more serious than that, no." Hope sighed. "I wouldn't put anything past him, though, especially if it involves giving JJ a hard time. I like Jeff for the robberies themselves, but setting up people he doesn't like in order to get revenge? That has Cole's name written all over it."

Roman chewed on his lip. Rafe said, "The only question, boss, is how should we handle it?"

"What kind of danger do you think this girl is in?" Roman asked Hope.

Hope sighed. "Hard to say. There was definitely something she was holding back about what was happening to her. I'd say at the very least, she's being abused, probably by Cole."

"Hope wanted us to put a tail on her," Rafe added, "but I was afraid if Cole caught on it would be worse for Bev."

Roman nodded. "Well, we have to do something. The girl tried to ask us for help, and we can't just ignore it. But it's important we don't confuse our cases. We all have been working on catching this robber for so long that I'm afraid we might start seeing connections that aren't really there. So, for now… Hope, investigate this Cole character, but be careful about it. If you're right, we gotta keep this hush hush until we've got enough on him to make an arrest. Otherwise, he'll take it out on the girl. We'll check in with the victims tomorrow to see if any of them recognize Cole. In the meantime, Rafe, how about you update me on where we are with trying to nail Jeff for the robberies?"

"All right," Daniel said to Maggie, wrapping his hands around his coffee cup. "I know you wanna say something, Mom, so you might as well just say it."

Maggie sighed. "Don't be so hard on Victor. He only knows one way to help, and that's throwing around his influence. He thinks he can handle Parker's illness the same way he handles some business executive whose trying to get one over on him. And he can't, of course. But this is just Victor showing he cares without admitting it. Now surely you can understand that, Daniel?"

"You're right. I can." Daniel sighed. "I don't like feeling helpless any more than he does. My whole life, Mom… my whole life I always thought, no matter what happens, there's always something I can do, always one more thing I can try. But this… this is beyond me." He sipped his coffee, thinking. "Kayla took me off the surgical rotation so I can focus on Parker, and as much as I want to be with him… looking ahead, all I see is days full of me by his hospital bed and everything else, everything else is a blank…"

Maggie took his hand. "I know. But Daniel, Kayla was right. This is no time to be worrying about other people's lives. Parker needs you too much, and quite frankly, I'm worried about you. I know you aren't going to turn to a bottle of beer or a tumbler of wine to drown your sorrows, but you know, work can be just as much of an addiction, especially at times of high stress. It's not like you to snap at Victor over something like this, either."

Daniel shook his head. "To tell you the truth, Mom, I've just… I feel like the rug's been pulled out from under me with this. I had a plan for the way my life was gonna go, and for years… for years everything was going according to plan. Yeah, there were bumps in the road, detours, wrong turns, but nothing I couldn't handle. Then in the last couple months, I… I lost Jennifer and almost lost Nicole, and now Parker…" Daniel blinked back tears. "All of a sudden my life has become Parker's hospital room, and reassuring Chloe, and talking to doctors and… "

"And all of a sudden you're the patient instead of the person who has the answers."

"Yeah. You could say that." Daniel sighed. "Mom, me and Chloe have to make a decision about Parker's care, and it could be life and death. I'm putting on a good face for her, and for Parker, cause they need that, but between you and me, I am terrified of making the wrong choice."

"This," Sally told Nicole, gesturing towards the computer screen. "JJ found this once he buckled down and got to work."

Nicole glanced at the screen. "Name: Anonymous," she read aloud. "Tip: Your new intern's gonna have a big story on his hands soon." She gave Sally a bored look, then went on reading. "In fact he's about to experience first hand how losing everything can make you snap." She crossed her arms. "Talk about cliched. Not to mention vague. I'd give it a C for interest, an A for creepiness, but originality… that's a big fat F."

"Yeah, but it's still a threat," Sally objected, "and you told me we have to - "

"Have to make sure we watch our backs every time there's a threat? Of course." JJ gave Nicole a suspicious look and she said, "What? That doesn't come from me. It's official policy."

"That's not what I heard." JJ's eyes flashed. "I heard Miles will run with any story he thinks will get people tuning in." He crossed his arms. "You're trying to cover up that you want to protect me, aren't you?"

"You're right," Nicole said. "I should have known better than to try to pull one over on someone who's almost as good at reading people as I am. Look, JJ, I think it's admirable that when a loser like Jeff pushes, you push back. But Miles had to sign all this paperwork over at the school, and if anything were to happen to you we'd be liable. And more than that, I kinda like your mom, and Daniel… and okay, I like you too… and I don't want to see you get in over your head. So yes, I told Sally that we had to watch out for you, because this guy Jeff gives me the chills, and I don't scare easily."

"Why'd you lie to me?"

"Haven't you heard? According to the rest of Salem, lying is my middle name." Nicole smiled bitterly. "Seriously? I guess I was afraid if you knew we were trying to watch your back, you'd react like… well, like the way you're reacting right now."

JJ thought for a minute. "I… um… I appreciate you looking out for me, Nicole, but honestly, I can take care of myself. Come on, you knew the only reason I took the job was I wanted to find out who was really behind the robberies. Don't you think I knew it might be dangerous?"

"No," Nicole said. "I think you knew it _would_ be dangerous, and secretive, and exciting… and you thought maybe there was a good chance you were going to die a martyr to the cause of proving your friend's innocence." JJ reddened and Nicole said, "We're not that much different. Just like I can't fool you, you can't fool me. Part of you likes the danger and you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. But taking risks in search of the story is one thing. Being stupid about it is another. That's why I've carefully cultivated a relationship with Rafe Hernandez-that and I like him, but right now we're talking business. If I find myself in over my head - "

"Yeah, right. Like that ever happens."

"It does, on occasion. Usually when someone's trying to blackmail me out of running their story. The point is, JJ, if I can't handle a story on my own, having a cop on my side helps ensure I live to tell the tale of how I forced the truth out of the bad guys."

"Like the cops are gonna listen anyway." JJ sighed. "I was there when they arrested Rory, Nicole, and if they could have jammed me up on something, they would have done it in a heart beat."

"Sounds like a story we should tell," Sally observed dryly.

"Cops being unfair to someone? Stop the presses." Nicole sighed. "Look, I'll straighten Rafe out about harassing innocent people while I'm passing on this juicy tip Jeff was generous enough to share with us. Who knows, maybe it'll crack the case open for them, and then they'll be forever in your debt." JJ shrugged; Nicole knew she had to throw him a bone. "In the meantime, tell you what. You have an in with your friend-exploit it. Go get him to give us an exclusive." JJ breathed in sharply and Nicole said, "Before you have a panic attack, listen. I'm not throwing you into shark-infested waters on your own yet. First I have to show you what to do; all you have to do is get your friend over here tomorrow. So what do you say-wanna call it a night so you can get started?"

"I guess," JJ said.

"You know why we didn't hire Jeff?" Sally asked. "Besides him being a jerk in general?" JJ shook his head. "He was too focused on the big stuff. If it wasn't exciting, it wasn't gonna interest him. He wouldn't last here. But you're not like that or Nicole wouldn't have given you as much as a glance on her way to somewhere else. You're willing to sit here and read mind numbing so-called tips in the hopes you turn up something good. So now you might think we're taking it too slow, but eventually, we're gonna land a big story together. You copy?"

"I think so," JJ said.

"Good. So go home and get some sleep, cause you're gonna need all your energy for what's coming up."

"Okay. Thanks." JJ walked out of the office.

"Impressive," Nicole said to Sally as soon as he was gone. "You almost had me believing it."

Sally smiled. "I think on my feet. How do you think I've been able to handle Miles all these years?" The smile faded. "JJ's not going straight home, is he?"

"Not a chance. That's the real reason I want to clue Rafe in. JJ's an inventive kid, and he's going to look for some way to keep this investigation going no matter what we say. The more people watching his back, the less likely he is to get himself into a situation he can't handle." Nicole opened her phone and dialed Rafe's number.

Eve sat on her couch listening to music and humming along, not wanting to risk what was left of her voice by trying to sing. She tried to tell herself that it was nice to have the house all to herself, but she couldn't make herself believe it. She picked up her phone, then put it down on the table and picked up her half-full glass of wine to take a few more sips.

The phone rang. Eve grabbed it. "Paige? Are you on your way, sweetheart?"

"You mean she hasn't made it yet there?" the voice on the other end of the line said.

"I-I'm sorry. Who is this?"

"This is Daphne. Paige's roommate? She borrowed my car and she's not answering her phone to tell me when she's coming home. I thought she might be with you."

"Well, she's not," Eve snapped. Feeling bad about it, she softened her tone, adding, "I'm sorry, Daphne. Paige stood me up twice so far today to meet a friend, so you can understand that I'm just a little out of sorts. I am so sorry she is being thoughtless to you too. When she gets here I will make sure she acts like the sweet, considerate young woman I've raised her to be and gets in touch with you."

"Thanks, I guess," Daphne said. "Sorry to bother you, Mrs. Larson."

Daphne hung up, leaving Eve to say into the phone, "Call me Eve." She got up and paced around the apartment, hitting the phone against her palm. A photo on her table of her with Paige, the day Paige won the sixth grade spelling bee, caught her eye. She blinked back tears as she sat down again, slowly, and made another phone call.

"Eric? It's Eve Larson. I'm sorry to intrude on whatever you're doing with your evening. My daughter just moved out and I have to admit I'm sitting here feeling sorry for myself. So I wondered… if you don't mind spending time with a pathetic old woman… maybe we could cash in that raincheck and you could just come over here?"

She hung up the phone and looked at a photo of Paige on it. "Oh Paige," she said aloud. "Where are you, sweetheart?"

Paige was lying facedown across the back seat of Daphne's car, her wrists bound behind her back with a heavy rope that she had learned would tighten if she tried to pull against it. She lifted her head, trying to see where she was being taken, but all she could see was the door handle. Cole pressed her head back down as the car sped past a sign announcing that they had reached Salem city limits…

"So what do you think?" Daniel asked Maggie after he'd explained about the test Dr. Collins had wanted to do.

"I wish I could tell you what to do," Maggie said, "but Daniel, I don't think any of us can. This is a decision you and Chloe have to make with Parker's doctors."

"I know that," Daniel said. "I wasn't asking for an answer. I just...Mom, you went through this with Sarah, didn't you? When Eve… when she got run over?"

"Well, yes, but that was very different. She was much older than Parker, and everything about her case was more clear cut."

"Even so, Mom, I guess what I'm asking is how did you make it through?"

"The same way anybody does, I guess." Maggie patted Daniel's hand. "You are just as strong as your patients, Daniel, and I know that when you've had to give bad news, they all survived. The only thing I can tell you is the same thing I would tell a sponsee who was going through something like this. Take care of yourself, and I'm not just talking about going through the motions of eating three meals a day or getting eight hours of sleep a night. I'm talking about taking care of yourself on the inside."

"Mom - "

"Nobody can get through almost losing a child on their own. No matter what happens with Parker-and I'm almost certain he'll be just fine-it's going to leave scars. You need to be as diligent about healing yourself as you are with all those patients who write you glowing reviews."

"I'm fine, Mom, really."

"Dr. Jarvik will be here in the morning, and I'm sure he'll give you all the guidance you need about what's best for Parker. But Daniel, you need outlets for your feelings, and I'm not talking about burying yourself in patients while your own son is in a hospital bed. I hope that while you're weighing the pros and cons of Parker's surgery, you'll also take the time to think about what's best for yourself."

JJ tried to call Marissa as he walked through Horton Town Square, but he got her voicemail. He hung up and tried again, but the same thing happened. "Uh, hey, look, I'm sorry about earlier. I just got off work and I'm ready to make it up to you. Besides, I got something to tell you." He hung up, sighing. Even though one part of his brain told him that Marissa wasn't upset with him about earlier, another part of him remembered the way he'd had to chase after Paige to talk to him at all after a misunderstanding, and he didn't wanna go through that again.

"JJ!" Rory called. "Dude, where have you been all night?"

"Working," JJ said. "Maybe you've heard of it?"

Rory's eyes narrowed. "I was gonna tell you some important news, man, but if you're gonna be like that, I'll just keep it to myself."

JJ rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Sorry. It's just been a long day." He sighed. "Actually, I'm glad I ran into you."

"Really? This is an earth shattering event, you actually wanting to hang with me."

"Dude, can't you get over me not being able to get to the park earlier?"

"I dunno, man. Maybe if you'd been there, you'd have stopped Bev from going off with Cole again." Rory sighed. "She's totally into that loser, and it's getting worse and worse, man. He was totally pretending to be into her and giving her this song and dance that he was sorry about whatever he'd done to her. I could see right through it, man, and I was totally baked… but Bev, she fell for it."

"You think he's hurting her?" JJ asked, frowning.

"Dude, this is Cole we're talking about."

"Yeah." JJ suddenly remembered the way Bev had been that day he met up with her. "You're right, man. I did like you asked when you were in jail, man, and dude, something was off about her. The second I mentioned Cole, she shut down and wouldn't talk to me anymore."

Rory's phone beeped. He checked it. "Was getting my hopes up, but that wasn't anyone but Kurt." He shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Everything cool with you and him now?"

Rory's face fell but he said, "Yeah, it's all good. He's probably got a joint or two saved up for me. Wanna come with?"

"Yeah," JJ said, "but not to smoke. I got an inkling into who set you up, and I wanna get both of you in on stopping them for once and for all."

Rafe sighed. "Right now, seems like where we are with Jeff is nowhere. We can't try to get anything out of him til we got the evidence to prove he's good for these crimes, and honestly, we're running out of ideas. Now tomorrow we got the victims coming in again, but in the meantime, with every minute that goes by, he's getting more confident cause it seems like he's totally getting away with this."

Roman nodded. "I wanted to put some undercovers in place, but Salem U's giving us a lot of static."

"Yeah, that security guy Peterson's giving Hope a hard time about accessing class lists to see if Jeff was in classes with all three of the victims he attacked in the dorms. You think we got enough for a warrant?"

Roman shook his head. "Judges don't like to sign off on say-so and speculation." He sighed. "I like to keep the pressure on in cases like this, but right now we're at a dead end. Again."

"Yeah. So what are you thinking, boss?"

"I can't help thinking this guy's not done," Roman said. "Perps like this don't just give up and fade into the background. Now eventually he's gonna resurface, probably sooner than later. So a fresh set of eyes can't hurt and might even get us a break. I'm gonna call Abe Carver in to consult on this one."

Rafe nodded. "Not a bad idea. I also told Hope I'd talk to my contacts at the FBI to see if there's a way around this Peterson guy."

"Go ahead. And Rafe, tell Hope: we will get this guy, one way or another, hopefully before he decides to strike again."

"I certainly hope so, boss," Rafe said. He glanced down at his phone; he had somehow missed a call from Nicole. "I'll make a few calls, see if I can get the ball rolling on anything before I sign out for the night. Let me know if you need me to help bring Abe up to speed."

Roman was already on the phone; he nodded, dismissing Rafe from his office.

Daniel sat by Parker's bedside, Dr. Collins' recommendation going through his head over and over while he watched his son sleep. His own eyes began to close.

_He couldn't assist in Parker's surgery, but Kayla said he could watch. He was standing in the operating theatre, watching while the pediatric anesthesiologist put the mask over Parker's face. He leaned forward, pressing his head against the glass, as a surgeon pressed sticky pads onto Parker's chest before making the first incision._

_Suddenly the machines went crazy with beeping. Daniel knew what that meant but tried to tell himself he was just hearing things. The beep became a steady shriek. The surgeon looked sadly up at Daniel, then at the clock, before covering Parker with a sheet._

Daniel jerked awake. He looked around, trying to orient himself to where he was. Parker's breathing was soft and even in the bed next to him, and the monitors showed all his vitals were normal. Daniel wiped sweat off his forehead before reaching out to touch his son's hair, making sure that Parker was still really here.

Parker's eyes opened. "Daddy! You scared me!"

"Sorry," Daniel told him. "Daddy just…" He blinked back tears. "Daddy just had a bad dream, honey." He tried to smile. "But it's okay now, Parker, it's okay, cause I'm awake, and I'm here with you… and you, Parker, you are gonna get well and we're gonna get out of here and go play in the park, on those swings that let you fly as high as you wanna go."

"WIth Aunt Nik?" Parker asked. Daniel gave him a puzzled look. "With Nik… Nik... Nik...ole," Parker said, and Daniel realized Parker was still having trouble saying Nicole's name. He made a mental note to tell Chloe so she could tell the speech therapist that worked with Parker when he was in Chicago.

"Why not?" Daniel told Parker. "But first, Parker, first you're gonna go home with your mom and her… her friend and see the trains you love."

"Yeah," Parker said. His eyes were closing again. "Trains my favorite," he mumbled, and went back to sleep.

Daniel sighed. He picked up his phone and mumbled, "Aunt Nik, huh?" He glanced at Parker, thinking, _Parker's not the only one that needs you right now_. He sent Nicole a text.

In her hotel room, Chloe could see her exhaustion staring at her from the mirror. There were dark circles under her eyes that it would take a lot of makeup to hide. She pushed her hair behind her ears, trying to make herself look presentable.

Her tablet rang. She sighed and went over to the bed, sitting down on the edge before she answered.

Philip stared back at her from inside the screen. He looked put together, as usual-but why shouldn't he be? None of this was his problem.

"Hey," Chloe said weakly.

"Hi." Philip gave Chloe a smile. "I I know this is weird to say under the circumstances, but it's good to see you."

"Is it?" Chloe asked, then realized that probably sounded rude and added, "Honestly, it's good to see you too, Philip."

"I guess you haven't got any good news about Parker recently," Philip remarked.

"No, everything's the same. Which is good… I mean, no news is always good news, right?"

"Chloe," Philip said softly. "You're talking to me, remember? Not to all the doctors or to Daniel or to whoever the hell else is over there. I'm your safe haven, the place where you can take off all your masks. So let it all out. What's going on with him?"

Chloe sighed deeply. "Um… well… the reason there's no news is I just don't understand what they're doing. I mean, they tell us his heart is failing, but then they want to do more tests to see. Then they tell us again, it's definitely his heart and they put him on medication, but they also say they need to do this surgical test to see where the damage is. Why can't they just tell us, this is what's wrong and this is what the treatment is? This… this testing process, it's endless."

"Whoa, back up a little. What surgical test?"

"They said…" Chloe blinked hard. "They said they have to put a little tube in his heart so they can take movies of how it's all working."

"And this is happening how soon? Chloe! You told me that if anything major happened you'd let me know right away so I could come down."

"I know, Philip, but - "

"But what? You were afraid Daniel wouldn't like it? Well, too bad! Daniel Jonas may have won the battle over who's Parker's father, but that doesn't mean I don't still love that little boy." Philip shook his head. "I should never have given you so much space. If I'd had the courage to pursue you, Parker would know me just as well as he knows Daniel and there would be no question that I should be there for his surgery."

"Stop!" Chloe said firmly. "This doesn't have to do with Daniel's opinion of you, like, at all, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't yell at me over that while my son is sick!"

Philip was quiet for a second. "Sorry," he said. "I... I'm scared for Parker too. And for you."

"I know," Chloe said. She squeezed her hands together. "Anyway, the reason I didn't tell you right away was I don't know if Parker's having the surgery at all."

"What? But you just said - "

"I know what I said." Chloe glanced down at her hands. "Philip, Daniel doesn't want him to have it. He says it's an unnecessary risk."

"Okay, so that's Daniel's opinion. What do the doctors who aren't related to Parker say?"

"The one who's related to me says it's standard in these types of cases. And I guess I believe that, but Daniel seems so sure this is wrong." Chloe sighed. "It just feels like no matter what we choose, it's going to be wrong for Parker one way or another."

"Well," Philip said, "I don't know a lot about medicine, okay, but I know one thing. When you don't know what to do, you can't go around in circles thinking about it. I learned that the hard way when I almost lost you. So please, Chloe, forget what's logical, what's rational. Just ask yourself...what feels right?"

_You_, Chloe thought. Her lower lip trembled and she said, "For you to be here while he has the surgery, and when we get the next news, and… and when he's ready to come home…"

Philip's eyes widened. "Well," he said, clearly flustered, "then that's what we should do. I'll get the next flight out." He took out his phone and pressed a few buttons. "I can be there tomorrow morning, unless you'd rather I drive down tonight."

"I…" Chloe wasn't sure what to say. Too many thoughts were swirling around her head. "I'm in room 436 at the Salem Inn," she said at last. "And I'd like to see you tonight."

Nicole was filling out some paperwork when Rafe knocked on her office door. "Sorry I took so long getting back to you."

Nicole shrugged. "Crime and corruption wait for no man, right?"

"Something like that." Rafe came all the way in. "So what's up?"

Sally started to get up, but Nicole said, "Wait, Sally, please. I want you to be part of this."

"What, you need a witness?" Rafe joked. He glanced at Sally, who was staring at him wide-eyed. "What's got the two of you shaken?"

"Well…," Nicole said, "this, for starters." She handed a hard copy of a couple of tips to Rafe.

Rafe glanced at them. "This looks like pretty non-specific stuff. What's the half of the story you're not telling me?"

Nicole sighed. "Not telling you yet, you mean. I was just getting to it." She pushed her papers away to buy herself a second to compose her thoughts. "Remember the last time we saw each other how you told me not to poke the bear in fake intern's clothing?"

"Uh oh." Rafe crossed his arms. "What happened?"

"I hired another intern," Nicole said, "one that can actually do the job. Only…"

Rafe waited, but Nicole didn't go on. "Come on, Nicole," he said. "Look, I'm not here to judge you for whatever trouble you've gotten into. You need my help getting out of it, I'll do what I can. But I can't do anything if you don't give me something to work with."

"Okay, here's the thing. I had my eye on JJ Deveraux for this job from the beginning, and when I found out he had some classes with Jeff, I hired him so that he could track Jeff down for me. But there was one thing I hadn't counted on. JJ… well, he's as headstrong and as immune to common sense as I am, and the only way he'd agree to work for me is if I let him do some digging into the crime wave you're investigating." Rafe frowned and Nicole said, "Rafe, I swear, I only agreed because I knew he was going to do it with or without me, and I thought having someone as seasoned as me at staring danger in the face would make it less likely he got in over his head."

"That and you needed someone who could get Jeff for you."

"Okay, you're right. But I wasn't just being selfish. I really don't want anything to happen to JJ, and I thought I had him covered. But I made one really big mistake. I hadn't counted on the fact that Jeff Adkins was crazy enough to think this job was his after everything he'd pulled."

"Nicole told me to help her watch JJ's back," Sally added, "especially after what happened this morning."

"Which was what?" Rafe asked.

"You know that bail hearing for your suspect?" Nicole asked, and Rafe nodded. "I told JJ to cover it so that he could get his feet wet and feel like he was doing something. I thought maybe that would stop him from wandering the streets hoping to run into the real robber. And it would have worked, too, except Walter Winchell over here decides he's covering it too then shows up in my office demanding the job."

"We're not sure," Sally said, "but we think Jeff's onto the fact that JJ got the job he wanted. Right after Nicole threw Jeff out of her office, somebody started flooding our online tip box with a ton of garbage, plus the stuff you have in your hands."

"I know it sounds like nothing," Nicole said, "but I'm pretty good at reading people, and Jeff's an avalanche of crazy."

Rafe sighed. "You think Jeff's got it in for JJ Deveraux cause he lost out to him?"

Sally nodded. "And worse, JJ seems to see it as a challenge. We know there's not much you can do about a couple of anonymous, non-specific threats, but we were hoping you at least could help us protect our intern."

Rafe thought about it. "Tell you what," he said at last. "Forward me the tips and I'll have our IT guy take a look at where they came from. Maybe we'll get lucky, and Jeff will have finally messed up enough for us to tie him to something. That way we can get him off the streets. In the meantime, how about I track down JJ and have a talk with him about how dangerous the guy he's looking for is?"

"Only if you're willing to say the two least popular words in Salem," Nicole said. "JJ's got a problem with the way Rory's arrest happened. Something about prejudice, and people wanting to arrest him for the fun of it, and your officers hating him. I know, I know, they were just doing their jobs, blah blah, but can you please just apologize on their behalf so he stops taking matters into his own hands?"

Rafe nodded. "They went a little overboard. I can make it clear that there's no official policy declaring war on him." His phone buzzed. "I gotta go," he said, turning it off, "but I'm on this. Make sure you keep me in the loop; I don't want to hear anything about any of you trying to do my job for me. We all got that?"

Nicole and Sally nodded. "Want me to walk you out?" Nicole asked, shyly.

"You really had to ask?" Rafe asked.

Nicole couldn't help smiling slightly as she held the door open for him.

Eve was sipping her wine, staring into space and trying not to think about Paige when a key turned in the lock. "Paige? Honey, is that you?"

Jill came through the door, shuffling her feet to make it seem like she was even less mobile than she was. "Sorry, just me," she called, closing the door behind her. "I've been out and about all day. Boy do my feet hurt." She sat down next to Eve, not seeming to notice that Eve wasn't in the mood for conversation. "I tracked down JJ's mom. Now I know why you didn't want sweet little Paige with that boy. If he's anything like his mother, not only is he booooring, but he's also got his nose stuck up so high in the air he doesn't know what we even look like down here." Jill laughed; Eve didn't respond. "Well, you're great company," she said, sulking. "Aren't you even going to say hello?"

"Haven't you noticed that I'm not in the mood for mindless chatter?" Eve demanded.

"Geez, what bug crawled up your butt and died?"

"You know, you had your little bit of fun, telling me you were gonna tell Paige tall tales about what happened to that awful delinquent boyfriend of hers if I didn't find it in my heart to give you a place to live. But that's all over now. I'd appreciate it if you'd pack up your stuff, if you even have anything you aren't ashamed to call your own, and be out of here by morning."

Jill's eyes flashed. "You really have it in for your daughter, don't you? Do you realize who will suffer if she finds out what really happened the night of that party? It's not going to be me. It's going to be you. She'll probably burst into tears over how her mother betrayed her, and it won't be too long until she's back in JJ's arms. Is that really what you want, Eve? Really?"

"Shut up!" Eve told her. "It's not like any of it matters anyway, Jill! Not when my daughter refuses to come home because of you."

"What?"

"You heard me. You went running your mouth one too many times, gloating about how you were staying in her old room. As far as she knows, JJ's the father of your child, Jill! Knowing the woman that he betrayed her trust with was staying in her room was too much for her. Now I sent her to get some aspirin for me so I could clear my head, and ever since it's just been one excuse after another. I get the message. She's not coming back, and that's on you. So I hope you enjoyed the little game you played, cause it's over now."

Jill pouted. "I can find out where Paige is staying, you know. Maybe I'll move in with her. But if you're nice, I'll help her forgive you."

"Like you can do that."

"She's a very trusting girl. Very sweet, doesn't know the way the world really works yet. I could teach her a thing or two… or I could get her to feel sorry for me and to admire you for opening your heart to a poor homeless girl with no place to go. It's all up to you which way this plays out."

Eve glared at Jill. "Now listen here, Jill - "

There was a knock on the door. Eve and Jill looked at each other as Eric called out from the other side of the door, "Eve? Is everything all right in there?"

Hope had stopped by Cole's apartment, hoping she could catch a whiff of marijuana as she walked by so that she could arrest him on drug charges and then shake him down to find out what he was doing to Bev. No such luck; it was completely quiet as she walked by, and a quick peek in his front window showed her nobody was home.

She sighed and went downstairs to the rental office. A young woman looked up as she came in and said, "Sorry, we don't have any vacancies."

Hope flashed her badge. "I need to ask a few questions about a tenant. Is there someplace private we can talk?"

The young woman nodded. "W-we take legal matters very seriously here," she said as she led Hope to a conference room in the back of the office. "I can assure you, if any of our tenants is involved in illegal activity, they will be evicted and turned over to you. Of course, if that's the case, we may also need to get our attorney involved."

"Relax," Hope said. "Nobody's being arrested today, and if we do end up with an arrest warrant, we'll be sure to let you know as soon as the suspect is in custody."

"Oh." The landlord sat down at the table and gestured for Hope to do the same. "What can I do for you, Detective…?"

"Brady. Hope Brady." Hope opened a photo on her tablet. "Have you seen this girl?"

The landlord put on her glasses and stared at Bev's photo. "She looks vaguely familiar. I might have seen her coming out of number 56A. But she's not a tenant here, I promise."

"56A. That apartment belongs to Cole Richards."

"Mm hmm. Quiet boy, hardly ever see him. I guess he works a lot."

"Ever had any problems with him?"

"Now what's that girl saying? The few times I've seen her around, I just knew she was trouble. I was going to remind Cole on the 1st that he's the only one on the lease, so if he was thinking about moving her in he would think twice."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

The landlord frowned. "Cole is a model tenant. He's young, and the cops have picked on him a lot, no offense, but he takes it in stride. He's one of the few who pays his rent the minute it's due, if not a few days before, and I'd hate to lose him. So if that girl or anyone else is accusing him of anything, they're making up stories, and you know it. Otherwise you'd come here with a warrant, not just a bunch of questions. Now let me get you my attorney's card in case you have more questions. And before you ask, next time Cole pays rent I will be sure to let him know the cops have been harassing him again." The landlord shoved a business card into Hope's hand. "Now goodbye, Detective Brady. I have a building to manage."

Kurt wasn't home when JJ and Rory came in. "Typical," Rory said. He flopped back onto the couch. "Anyway, what's this big plan you've got?"

JJ sighed, trying to choose his words carefully. "Dude, I know who set you up. But we need proof in order to do anything."

"You mean, like, become super-spies or something?" Rory laughed nervously.

"I'm serious, man." JJ rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I can't tell you all the details, but dude, Cole's working with the guy who robbed you."

"No way. I know Cole went nuts when you made Bev fall for you, but he wouldn't go that far."

"Yeah, he would. Think about it, Rory. Don't you think it's weird that the robber just happened to be in the woods right when Bev and Cole caught your eye?"

Rory shook his head. "No," he said. "No, you gotta be wrong, dude. Cause if you're right, that means… that means Bev kissed him so I would get grabbed. You've been hanging around Paige too long, JJ, you've started forgetting who your friends are."

"Maybe Bev didn't know. Dude, you said he tricked her. No offense, but when the two of you are baked your brains aren't firing at full capacity. A little weed and a couple of half-truths and Cole's got her right where he wants her." JJ crossed his arms. "Have you heard from her since she went off with that wack job?"

Rory shook his head.

"Rory," JJ said slowly, "I know you don't wanna hear this, but if I'm right - "

"You're not, man. Drop it."

"If I'm right," JJ said again, "Bev could be in trouble. Who knows what he's putting her up to now? You don't wanna think about it, fine, but if Bev's your friend… we gotta do something."

"Fine," Rory said, "but you're the brains of this operation, dude. What are we doing?"

Just then, Kurt came in. "Hey l'il bro!" he called, putting a paper bag down on the counter. "Oh hey, JJ, good to see you, man." He held out his hand. JJ shook it, but he didn't look happy. "Glad you're here," Kurt said. "Now we can all celebrate, right? I mean, you missed earlier, but…" He took a bottle of brandy out of the paper bag. "This stuff is even better than weed."

"I'm cool, dude, thanks."

"Come on, JJ," Rory said. "All this stress is making you old before your time. Live a little, will you?" He took a cup of brandy from Kurt. "We got any green left?" he asked.

"Of course, dude." Kurt dug through his pockets, then tossed Rory a joint. "What's eating you, dude?" he said to JJ. "Why are you all tensed up? Rory's home, man, thanks to you and that lawyer you dug up for him. That frown should be yesterday's news. Come on, drink a little, light up some, celebrate."

"I'm good, man, really. You guys go ahead."

Kurt shrugged. "Suit yourself." He held up his cup. "To beating the system!" He and Rory downed their cups of alcohol while JJ stood still, staring at them.

"Everything's fine. Just give me a second to turn off my television," Eve called. Jill started to say something, but Eve put her finger to the lips and went to get the door.

"I'm sorry if I overreacted," Eric said. "I thought I heard yelling, and after what you said on the phone… Anyway, can I come in?"

"Of course. It's so sweet of you to come over and check on me. I was at such a low point earlier."

Eric noticed Jill as he came into the apartment. "Oh, you already have company."

"This is the girl I was telling you about the other day," Eve said. Eric looked puzzled. "Oh, you know, Eric. The homeless girl who we're trying to convince to take a spot at St. Luke's."

"Oh. Yes." Eric turned towards Jill. "I'd be happy to give you any information you'd like about the program St. Luke's runs. I don't work there anymore, but I can tell you it's a wonderful program, and you and your child will be well cared for."

"That's nice," Jill said, "but I was thinking about going to bed, and the idea of a church program drains what little energy I have left. Excuse me." She struggled to get up from the couch; Eric held out his hand to help her. He pulled her up; she held his hand for longer than necessary. "Of course, if all the priests running the program have eyes as gorgeous as yours, I could be persuaded."

"I thought you were going to bed," Eve snapped. "Now come on, my friend didn't come all the way over here to suffer through an awkward attempt at flirting."

"Fine," Jill said. "But there's always tomorrow." She went off to Paige's room, closing the door behind her.

"So you decided to let her stay here after all," Eric remarked, sitting down on the couch.

"Only temporarily," Eve said. "Do you know she stayed in the park the other night? With all the crime and people preying on you out there, I couldn't in good conscience leave her to her own devices, and a hotel is just too expensive for her. But as soon as we can convince her that the St. Lukes shelter is really the best place for her, she'll move there and I'll go ahead with my original plan."

Eric smiled. "You have such a big heart. It does mine good to see it, especially after everything I've been through."

"You mean all that mess with Nicole Walker? I have to be honest, I feel sorry for her, being so desperate to hang onto you that she engaged in all that scheming. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's people playing games to get what they want."

A sour look crept across Eric's face. "I'd rather not discuss Nicole. I came over here because I was worried about you. You sounded terrible on the phone."

"Did I?" Eve sighed. "My daughter's accused me of having a flair for the dramatic. I guess I just got worried… oh, it's silly."

"Whatever you're worried about may be a lot of things, but I'm sure silly isn't one of them."

Eve shook her head. "My daughter Paige moved to the dorms. I don't remember if I told you that."

"I gathered she wasn't here, since Jill is living in her room."

"Right." Eve glanced at the door to Paige's room, making sure it was firmly closed. "The thing is," she said, lowering her voice, "I think Paige is having a hard time dealing with Jill being here."

"Why? I thought I'd heard that Paige is one of the most compassionate people in Salem."

"Oh, it's complicated. My daughter had a fling… you know how girls this age are, they always think they're in love, but let's call it what it was, right? Anyway, she was seeing that JJ Deveraux for a while, convincing herself she was in love with him, while all the while…" Eve dropped to a whisper, "JJ was paying for some fun with Jill, and Paige found out about it. And with Jill pregnant now, Paige just doesn't want to deal with her being here."

"Wait a minute," Eric said. "You knew this girl before?"

"Well, not really, Eric, what do you take me for? I'd seen her around, on the pier and such, and I knew what she was doing. So I looked and looked for a way to help her, Eric, and I tell you, I had just about given up because I couldn't see any reason she'd ever even give me the time of day. Then one day, Paige told me she was going to this big college party with that JJ, so I invited Jill to the party, thinking maybe she'd see what she could have instead, you know, and get motivated to get off the streets. Anyway, to make a long story short, JJ was drunk and she wasn't much better and that's when I guess they conceived the baby she's carrying. Afterwards, she told me she was going to go home, try to start again, but next thing I know, she's turning up here. I don't know why, but I guess maybe she felt I was the only friend she really had, you know?"

"God does work in mysterious ways," Eric said. "I'm surprised that JJ Deveraux would do such a thing. That's not at all how Jennifer describes him."

"Bless Jennifer's heart, but she's blind to what her son actually does. If anyone ever needed prayer, it's that boy, I'm telling you." Eve took another sip of wine. "Let's not talk about him, or Jill, or Jennifer, though. The reason I called you is for some reason, you make me feel like…. like Salem is someplace other than a town full of bad memories, like there's good here too. I was feeling sorry for myself, I admit it. See, Paige went out to get me my headache medicine and she just, well she blew me off to see some friend or other, and I got to thinking… maybe she's not coming back."

"That can't happen," Eric said. "You know it can't. You've told me how close you and Paige are, how proud of her you are. God gave her to you for a reason, and no matter how far away she moves, He will always make sure she remembers what you are to her."

"That's so sweet of you to say." Eve automatically reached up and started playing with Eric's collar. "I don't understand where you get your faith from, Eric, but I sure do like it."

Eric stiffened as Eve stroked his cheek. He gently took her hand and moved it away from him.

Jennifer was browsing the web on her tablet, pretending not to be worried that JJ wasn't home yet, when there was a knock on the door. She put the tablet down, slowly, and went to answer it.

She swallowed hard when she saw Rafe on the other side, still wearing his badge and gun. "Rafe!" she said, plastering a fake smile across her face. "I'm glad you stopped by. I bought some books for Arianna. I thought Gabi could read them to her next time she gets a visit. How is she?"

"She's fine," Rafe said. "But listen, is there a reason we're having this conversation on your doorstep? I was really hoping I could come in for a second."

"Of course."

Jen closed the door behind Rafe. "What's going on?" she asked.

"I actually stopped by," Rafe said slowly, "because I was hoping I could talk to JJ for a second. He here?"

"He's not. Not yet, I mean. He has a 10 o'clock curfew so I'm sure he'll be back soon."

"Good." Rafe's voice seemed flat to Jennifer, as if he were holding something back. "I'm glad you're imposing that. With this robber on the loose, you can't be too careful."

"Yes. That's exactly what I told JJ." Jen waited a second for Rafe to say something, but when he didn't, her anxiety got the better of her. "I know he's an adult, but I have to ask… is my son in trouble? Should I… should I call his lawyer?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. Actually, I came by to apologize to him. I heard the officers that picked up his friend were pretty hard on him."

"I appreciate that," Jen said, "but JJ isn't entirely innocent in that. Hope told me how inappropriate his behavior was. I'm just glad the officers didn't decide to teach him a lesson."

"Yeah, well, so am I. But I still want to offer him an apology one on one. Sometimes when these things happen, it can make people distrustful of cops, and I don't want JJ to feel like he can't come to us if he ever has information about a crime."

Jen laughed, "Information about a crime? That's sweet of you, Rafe, but if JJ knew anything…" She glanced at Rafe, who looked pensive. "Wait a minute. Does JJ know something about a crime that he's not telling you?"

Maxine held a cup full of pills. "You sure he can swallow these?" she asked Daniel. "We can give them intravenously, and sometimes with kids his age that's a better strategy than trying to get them to swallow half a dozen different pills."

"Given the way he's reacted to needles - "

"You know I can get through to him on that score. I keep telling you, Daniel, just because he's sick doesn't mean we go all soft on him."

"Let's try him on these first, and if he's still having trouble, I'll ask for another consult."

"All right, then. You're the boss," Maxine said. She brought the pills over to Parker, who was sitting with Nicole.

Parker wrinkled his nose when he saw the pills. Nicole said, "I heard you'll take all your medicine if good old Nicole's here to watch you take it."

"Yeah, but it looks yucky," Parker said.

"That's because the worse it tastes, the better it is for you. When I have to take medicine, I make a face like this." Nicole twisted her face all out of shape. Daniel and Maxine couldn't help smiling, and Parker clapped his hands and giggled. "Do that again."

"Maybe later. It might get stuck like that and I'd have to go on TV with a crazy face." Nicole took Parker's hand. "So what do you say we give it a try now? Take all your medicine and then when you're done it's your turn to make a face."

"You know," Maxine said under her breath to Daniel, "for all Nicole's faults, she's real good when it comes to that little boy."

"Yeah," Daniel agreed, not wanting to get into it with Maxine. "She is."

"All right now Parker," Maxine said. "How'd you like to drink through a straw while you swallow that medicine?"

While Maxine was administering the pills to Parker one by one, Nicole walked over to Daniel. "He seems more like himself," she said. Daniel shrugged.

"What about you? How are you holding up?"

"I'm okay." Nicole gave Daniel a look and he said, "Really, I am. Except I do have kind of a large scale decision to make on his behalf."

"Oooh life and death decisions. The best kind." Nicole tried to smile. "Seriously, wanna tell me about it?"

"In a minute. But first, there's something else we have to get straight."

"Uh oh." Nicole didn't like the sound of that. She racked her brains, trying to think of what she could have possibly done to upset Daniel, but she came up empty.

"Chloe was under the impression," Daniel said, "that you and me were more than friends. Now I know you didn't tell her that, but I also know, Nicole, that you tried to kiss me the other night. Now, we've been spending a lot of time together since Parker's illness, so maybe, Nicole, maybe I've been giving you the wrong impression. So before we go any further, I just want to take a minute to make sure we are both clear on what we are."

Jeff and Cole had taken the girls to some abandoned building, probably not even in Salem, and made them walk into it with their heads down so that they wouldn't have any idea where they were. Now they were in a dimly lit room that looked like it hadn't been touched since the 1950s. The room contained two small beds, mounted on metal frames and separated by a curtain. Both girls were forced to walk to the bed on the far side of the room, where they were propped against opposite sides of the frame. Jeff untied Paige's hands, then retied them behind the metal bed post on the right hand side of the bed. Her back was to Bev, but she assumed that Cole had tied Bev up the same way.

The boys had closed the curtain around the girls' bed, making the room even darker. Paige strained her ears, listening for something that would tell her what her captors planned to do with her, but Jeff and Cole kept their voices so low she could barely hear them.

She couldn't really turn around because of the way she was tied to the bed post, but she was able to twist her head slightly to see Bev out of the corner of her eye. Bev looked like she was trying to free herself. She was wriggling and pulling against the ropes. It was too dark to see whether or not she'd been gagged like Paige had been.

_Why would they kidnap Bev? _Paige thought. She wasn't entirely sure why they had taken her, either, but she guessed Jeff wanted her for himself and somehow knew she'd been planning to go out with T. He'd laid on top of her in the car so that he could tie her up and gag her, and she'd been terrified that he was going to do more than just brush against her body with his. So she knew what he wanted with her.

Did Cole want to do the same thing to Bev? But weren't they already going out? It didn't make sense.

Suddenly, a flood of images rushed through Paige's brain. Bev saying something about not wanting anything horrible to happen to Paige. Bev's tearful confession on the phone. Jeff saying he would walk Paige back to her car. _Oh my God,_ she thought. _Bev knew what they were going to do to me because she was helping them._

But why, then, had Bev been tied up too? Paige thought maybe it was a trick to make her think Bev wasn't part of the plot against her, but that seemed unnecessarily complicated. She moved her tongue around the scarf stuffed in her mouth, trying to loosen it so she could demand answers.

The curtain opened. Paige looked up as Jeff came into the girls' side of the room, her eyes widening with fear despite her best efforts to stay calm.

Hope made it home in time to put Ciara to bed, for once. The babysitter told her that Ciara had insisted on waiting up for her, and the sitter hadn't had the heart to discipline her. Hope pretended to be annoyed, but secretly she didn't blame the woman. She should have been home sooner.

Ciara was too old to be tucked in, or so she said, so Hope watched her get into bed herself. "Mommy?" Ciara asked.

"Yes, baby girl?"

"How about you take a night shift tomorrow and then I stay home from school and we spend all day on the couch watching old movies like we do when I'm sick?"

Hope sighed. "I'm sorry, Ciara. But until this big case I'm working on is closed, I'm going to have to spend a lot of time at the station." Ciara pouted and Hope said, "Tell you what. How about I tell you a story about when I was a little girl?"

"You mean a story about when you got into a lot of trouble in boarding school?"

Hope smiled. "I gues syou already know that one."

"Yeah. You've only told me like a million times. You need to get some new stories."

"I guess so." Hope adjusted the blanket around her daughter's shoulders. "If you think my stories are boring, maybe next time Grandma Julie comes over you should ask her for a story. She can tell you some crazy ones."

"You mean like how she married Grandpa after your mom died?"

"That wasn't exactly what I had in mind. But you'll have to ask her, okay?"

"Deal."

Hope kissed Ciara and go tup to turn out the light. As the room got dark, Ciara said, "Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I'm glad you're with Aiden now, because he would never, ever let you send me away to boarding school."

Hope stroked Ciara's hair. "Believe me, baby girl, the last thing I want is to ever send you away." Her phone buzzed. She sighed as she pulled it out of her pocket.

"Let me guess," Ciara said. "Work is calling, so you're going to have to get Mrs. O'Neill to come watch me sleep while you go back there."

"No, I'm not going anywhere." Hope glanced at her phone. "I do have to take this call, though, sweetheart. I'll be back in a minute. I promise."

She walked into the doorway so she could keep an eye on Ciara while still preserving her privacy. "Hope Brady."

The voice on the other end said, "We have some information about those computer traces your partner ordered."

"I don't know anything about any computer traces. You'll want to speak with Rafe Hernandez."

"Detective Hernandez did not answer his phone. I felt it was best to tell you so that you can pass a message onto him."

"All right," Hope said, picking up a pencil and a piece of paper from Ciara's desk.. "What is it?"

"It seems these messages were sent from a computer at the Salem University library."

"So basically, they're anonymous and could have come from any student."

"Well, yes, but there's more… this is what's really interesting. Ready?"

"Go ahead."

"The headers were spoofed. That means they were made to come from one source when they really came from another. In this case, the messages came from the Salem University Library, but on first glance… the sender made it appear that they came from JJ Deveraux. In other words, someone took pains to make it appear that young Mister Deveraux sent threatening messages to himself."

"I'm so sorry," Eve said. "I just feel so lonely, and so vulnerable…"

"Of course," Eric said, "but sex is not the answer."

"Who said anything about sex? I just wanted to touch a man… it's been such a long time, and you've been so kind to me."

Eric sighed. "It isn' t that, if the circumstances were right, I wouldn't…." His eyes darted every which way. "After so many years in the priesthood, celibacy has become a way of life. I used to mourn that, but in some ways it's a good thing. It stops me from acting on my baser emotions without being sure that's really what I'm supposed to be doing."

"I see." Eve reddened. "I guess this is where you tell me it's been a lovely evening, but… and you walk out that door, leaving me with promises to call that never materialize."

"No," Eric said, "not at all. You are worth so much more than a sexual encounter borne out of deep pain, Eve. You are so beautiful, so caring… you really give of your whole heart. And the saddest thing is that you are so unable to see how much you are worth. If I weren't your friend, I'd give you exactly what you want and then walk out the door. My holding back doesn't just have to do with me. It has to do with you." Eric looked into Eve's eyes. "I don't think anyone has ever treated you the way you deserve to be treated. I hope it's not out of line to say that I'd like to teach you what that looks like."

"Not at all," Eve mumbled.

Eric's phone buzzed, breaking the tension. He sighed as he reached for it. "Text from Chloe Lane," he said.

"Who?"

"Chloe is the mother of Daniel's son," Eric explained. "I don't know whether you know, but Parker is seriously ill. You should probably try to visit sometime soon."

"I'm sure I'm the last person Daniel wants to see right now," Eve said. "After all, we didn't part on the best of terms."

"I'm sure, given the circumstances, he would be willing to let bygones be bygones. Anyway, Chloe wants me to pray over a decision they need to make regarding Parker's care. Would you mind if I called her back quickly to find out what's going on?"

"Do what you have to do," Eve said, trying to smile. "I'll be here when you get back."

"Thank you for understanding. I'll be as quick as possible."

Eric went into the alcove between the rooms to make his phone call. Eve slumped down. _Oh Eric, _she thought, sipping her wine. _I wish I really could be who you think I am, but if you knew the real story of me and Jill, you probably would walk out that door forever, now wouldn't you? _She blinked back tears and then put the wine glass forcefully down on the table, deciding right then and there that Eric would never find out. Starting tomorrow, she was going to have to step up her campaign to get rid of Jill. Too much was at stake.

Her phone buzzed. Eve grabbed it quickly. Maybe it was Paige.

No, it was a text from some number she didn't recognize. Probably spam, but she opened it anyway.

What she saw made her turn white.

Somebody had sent her a picture of Paige, or at least she thought it was Paige. The picture was taken from behind, and the room was fairly dark, but she could make out Paige's beautiful, dark hair. In the photo, Paige's hands were behind some sort of metal pole, and someone had wrapped rope around her wrists.

The phone buzzed again. A second picture, this time from the front, of Paige sitting in front of the pole, her hands behind her. The silk scarf Eve had given her last Christmas was stuffed in her mouth.

The phone buzzed a third time. This time, it was a message.

_As u can see, I have Paige. If u want her back, be home alone tomorrow morn 9 for instructions. _

Eve's hand shook as she dropped the phone and picked up her wine glass, trying to look normal in case Eric came back in the room. She could still hear him talking. She got up, quickly, and picked up her photo of Paige from the end table. She hugged it against herself, blinking back tears.

Eric came back into the room. "I'm sorry about that."

"Is… is Chloe all right?"

"Yes, but the question is, are you all right, Eve? You seem upset. What's happened?"

"Paige… my daughter…" Eve couldn't seem to get her words together. Eric ran to her. She threw her head into his chest, and she was mainly not flirting either. "She….. they…. oh, here." She handed Eric the phone, then grabbed onto him as if he were the only thing keeping her up.

Eric stiffened, but his expression turned to pure fear as he glanced at the text. He put the phone down, slowly, and hugged Eve tight while she began to sob.


	11. Chapter 11

Eric helped Eve sit back down on the couch. Touching her shoulder, he said, "Let me call my father."

"Your father?" Eve said flatly. "Oh, Eric, now that's sweet, but there's nothing any of those parish priests can do for me."

"No, my father, as in Roman Brady, the police commissioner. He doesn't usually handle cases personally anymore, but I have no doubt that if I ask him to, he'll come himself. That way, you don't have to worry about it getting out that you called the police, and your daughter's safety won't be any more compromised than it already is."

"Oh, I don't know. The police probably won't believe it anyway, coming from me."

"Why?"

Eve sighed. "I was so worried, Eric, when Paige moved out that instead of taking your advice, I… well, I may have bothered Hope one too many times to ask her to watch out for my daughter."

Eric patted Eve's shoulder. "I'm sure that nobody faults you for being a concerned parent. Anyway, both Hope and my father are excellent cops, and leaving their personal feelings out of it goes with that territory." He took out his phone and made the call. "Dad, it's me, Eric. No, I'm fine, but can't say the same for my friend Eve Donovan. Yes, I said friend. Dad, listen, this is a police matter, and one that requires discretion, so I'd appreciate it if we put this discussion of my personal life on hold. It's Eve's daughter, Paige. We think she's been kidnapped. Look, could you please come in person? Yes, we're both at Eve's apartment. Thank you."

Eric snapped the phone closed. Eve said, "I'm so sorry, Eric, to put you in a position where you had to convince your father to do his job. I feel terrible about it, believe me."

"No," said Eric. "I'm the one who should apologize to you, on behalf of my father. I trust his professional judgment, so much so that I would not want anyone else to lead the investigation into your daughter's disappearance. But ever since the church and I parted ways, my father and I just haven't seen eye to eye on how I live my life. I was so eager to get him over here to take your statement-and believe me, that was the right thing to do-that I forgot that no matter who I'm friends with, he'll probably find fault with them."

"Oh, I don't know that I blame him," Eve said. Eric gave her a puzzled look and she said, "Eric, when I thought JJ Deveraux might break Paige's heart, there was nothing I wouldn't do to protect her from him. Now, Paige, she used to… she used to say I was treating her like a baby, but I'll tell you, Eric, no matter how old your child gets, you never stop wanting to wrap your arms around them and protect them from all the evils of the world." Eve blinked hard. "Anyhow, is Roman on his way?"

"Yes. Of course. He wouldn't look the other way on something like this." Eric sighed. Reaching for Eve's hand, he said, almost shyly, "While we're waiting, would you do me the honor of allowing me to pray with you?"

"Oh, what good will that do?" Eve let her tears loose. "She's gone, Eric, she's gone forever. I just know it."

"Hey." Eric cupped Eve's chin with his hand. "This is no time to lose faith. I know it feels like God is absent from your life and your daughter's right now, but He isn't, Eve, I promise you that."

"What kind of God would allow someone to take my gorgeous, intelligent daughter to do who knows what to her?" Eve dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "I admire how much faith you have after everything you've been through, Eric, but I can't share it, not unless my Paige comes home unharmed and whole."

"I understand," Eric said softly.

"Do you? I've never known any man of the cloth who would even give me the time of day before. I'm not exactly church material, and you're so full of faith...how can you understand what it's like not to have it?"

Eric took Eve's hand again. "I don't think very many people are beyond saving, and you certainly aren't. Now I understand that I can't ask you to trust God under the circumstances, and I won't. But I want you to know one thing: you can trust me, and I hope that you do."

"Oh, I do, of course I do."

Eric smiled at Eve. "I wanted to pray because I wanted to do something, and it seemed there was nothing else to do. But if you're not comfortable with that, perhaps there's something else I can do for you."

Eve thought for a second. "There is," she said, playing with Eric's collar.

Eric gently took her hand away. "Name it, and if I possibly can, I will."

Just then there was a knock on the door. "This is Commissioner Brady," Roman called. "Anyone at home?"

"No, of course not, Jennifer," Rafe said. "Where on Earth did you get an idea like that?"

"It's a little bit hard to swallow that it's a coincidence. The whole time JJ's been home, Hope has been keeping an eye on him for me. But all of a sudden, out of nowhere, you show up to talk to him, and it's all about an apology. But then you just happen to mention that you want him to feel comfortable sharing information about a crime. So please, Rafe, don't play innocent with me. I know you came here to talk to my son, and you're probably going to tell me that because he's an adult it's none of my business, but I'm begging you… whatever's going on, please tell me what it is before my imagination comes up with something that's even worse than the truth."

Rafe rubbed the bridge of his nose, trying to buy himself time to think about what to say. "It may be nothing," he said at last.

"But - "

"But Nicole Walker was concerned enough to fill me in, and that tells me that I should take this seriously."

"Nicole?" Jen was surprised. "What does she have to do with my son?"

"I guess JJ didn't tell you that he's working for her." Jen shook her head and Rafe said, "Anyway, apparently JJ's got some wild idea that he's gonna single handedly unmask the perp we've been looking for over at the college."

"I'm sure that if JJ thinks that, Nicole put him up to it. What is she thinking?"

"Look," Rafe said. "I know you got reason not to trust Nicole, but this time, she's one of the good guys. She's pulling out all the stops to keep JJ safe. And she's not just telling me that, Jennifer. I saw it with my own eyes." Jen frowned. Rafe went on, "Anyhow, I didn't come here to talk to you about Nicole. Long story short, I just wanted to make sure JJ understands how dangerous this guy is so he doesn't do anything stupid.". His phone buzzed. He looked at it. "Damn it."

"The station?" Jennifer asked.

"Yeah. Looks we got a major situation." He sent a text, his fingers moving quickly over the phone's keyboard. "I'm sorry, Jennifer. I wish I didn't have to leave you with half a conversation. Please don't let your imagination run wild. Your son's okay, even if he's lacking in the common sense department. Me or Hope will catch up with him later and impress on him the importance of leaving the detective work to us."

"Rafe?" Jennifer said as Rafe turned around. He turned back and she said, "Thank you for looking out for my son. Lately it's just been one thing after another with him… anyway when he gets home I'll make sure he understands not to do anything reckless, no matter what anybody else has to say about it."

"Yeah, good luck to you." Rafe half smiled as Jen walked him to the door. After he left, she sunk down into the couch, shaking her head sadly.

Nicole crossed her arms. "Really, Daniel? I ask you what's going on with Parker's treatment and you decide now is the time to have an impromptu couples counseling session?" She glanced over at Parker, who was busy playing with his straw now that he was finished with his medicine. Lowering her voice, she said, "Did I miss something about Parker going deaf, or are you just not worried about him hearing us talk about this-or about him?"

"No, you're right," Daniel said. "This isn't the time for this conversation. That's why we're not gonna have a discussion right now. I just need a simple yes or no. You, Nicole… you need to tell me that you understand that we are just friends and that we can never be anything more than that."

Nicole's eyes widened. "Yes, I understand that. You've certainly made it clear enough!" She realized she was practically shouting when Parker flinched. Lowering her voice, she said, "What I don't understand, Daniel, is why."

JJ watched Rory down another glass of brandy. Kurt glanced over at him, giggling. "I must not be drunk enough," Kurt said. "JJ still looks all upset."

"Hey, leave him alone, man," Rory said. He seemed to be having some problems walking as he moved towards JJ; he stumbled a little and had to keep grabbing onto the counter. "I'm sorry, dude," Rory told JJ. "You, uh, you said you wanted to talk to me. How about we ditch Kurt for a little so you can tell me your plan?"

"Nah, forget it, man. You're in no condition to - "

"Come on, dude, This apartment is small but we… we got privacy." Rory giggled.

"Look," JJ said, "In order for us to work anything out about how to get Jeff, you need to be able to concentrate. You can't do that now, dude. Hit me up about that when you're sober."

"Well, fine," Rory said, "but if we're not gonna talk business you should have some fun. Wait here, I'll get you a cup."

"No!" JJ said. He meant only to be firm, but he somehow ended up shouting. "Look, dude, I think I'm gonna just take off for now."

"Oh, here we go. I forgot, you're mommy's boy now. Better run on home before you get in trouble, right? Don't hang out, don't have fun, just school and work." Rory took another sip of his drink.

"Dude, you don't need - " JJ began.

"Don't you tell me what I need!" Rory shouted. "Look after yourself! Dude, what you need is to relax, but you're too busy trying to be whatever your mom wants you to be."

"You know what, man?" JJ said, his own anger rising. "I'm not the one going nowhere in life. My mom, my cousin, and everybody, they all tried to tell me about you, and I was so sure they were wrong. But now it's been, what, five hours since you got out of jail, and here you are doing the same old crap like nothing's changed."

"Dude!" Rory took another drink. "I don't think, I don't think you understand the sacrifice I'm making, man. Look…" His eyes were wide and sincere, but also kind of bloodshot, and JJ didn't like looking at them. "Tomorrow I gotta be straight arrow to see my lawyer, man, so tonight's my last chance for a couple days. You would… you would do the same, dude… if you were really being yourself." He giggled. "Paige's gone, dude. She's history. You don't have to twist yourself out of shape for her. Come on, live a little." He put his drink under JJ's nose; the strong alcohol smell disgusted JJ. "Just one sip, JJ, come on."

"Ugh, get that out from under me, dude, will you?" JJ pushed the drink away; it splashed.

"Dude, you don't have to waste - "

"And you don't have to get wasted. You know what, man? I'm done. I'll see ya." JJ turned and walked quickly out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Jeff put a six-pack of beer down near Paige. She watched as he opened one. "Poor Paige," he remarked, taking a sip. "It must be awfully uncomfortable for you, having to be tied up and gagged. She blinked as he came closer to her. He took another sip of beer, then put his hand through her hair, playing with it in what she was sure he thought was a comforting manner. "I'm sorry I have to do this to you. Tell you what, though, if you promise not to scream, maybe I'll take off the gag for a little while. I have a few questions I want you to answer anyway." He moved his hand slowly down towards the back of Paige's neck so he could loosen the gag.

Paige's mouth was dry, but she didn't care. As soon as the gag was out, she said, "Oh, I'll answer your questions, but first I have some of my own."

Jeff's eyes hardened. He pushed his hand over Paige's mouth and said, "You don't call the shots here, understand?." Paige's eyes widened as she nodded. Jeff removed his hand.

"First things first," Jeff said as Paige licked her lips, trying to get some moisture back into her mouth. "I know you don't drink, but I think that should change tonight. Have some of this."

Paige winced at the smell of the beer underneath her nose. "N-no thank you," she said.

Jeff slapped her across the face. "I said drink up."

Paige's eyes snapped, but she opened her mouth. Jeff tilted her head back and made her chug the beer. She felt slightly sick, but she was glad he was forcing her to drink fast so that she would taste it less.

"Now," Jeff said, taking the empty bottle away and opening a new one, "you're going to tell me everything I want to know about JJ."

Knowing Philip was coming gave Chloe enough of an energy boost that she was able to change her clothes and redo her makeup. She hadn't really brought anything fancy with her-dating was the last thing on her mind, with Parker sick-but she had several nice pants suits. Eventually she settled on a fairly low-cut blouse, one that showed enough without showing everything, and a pair of jeans, so that she would still look like the worried mother she was, but would also look good enough that Philip would be glad he came.

Now she just had to wait for him. Time stretched emptily before her. She lay back on her bed, flipping through the photos of Parker on her phone and playing with her rosary, She tried to hold on to the sense of wellbeing she'd gotten after her brief conversation with Eric earlier. He'd told her that he was sure Philip had come back into her life for a reason, and that the more love Parker was surrounded by, the more likely it was that God could heal him. It had made sense at the time. Now, while she was doing nothing but waiting, doubt was beginning to creep in again.

Chloe's phone buzzed. She sighed as she picked it up. She was starting to dread the ringing of the phone, and the bad news that always seemed to go with it.

Not this time though.

Philip had texted:

_Open your door_.

Eric sat on the couch with Eve while Roman and Rafe questioned her. "And you're sure," Roman said, "that this isn't a prank?"

"Does this look like a prank, Dad?" Eric asked, handing Eve's phone to Roman.

Roman glanced at the photos, frowning. He handed the phone to Rafe.

Rafe looked at the photos and said, "Doesn't look photoshopped, so I'm guessing this is the real deal. Looks like whoever took her is gearing up to demand a ransom. The good news is, maybe our tech guys can blow up this photo so we can get an idea where she's being held, and who knows? Maybe we can even get the exact location of the phone it was sent from." He glanced at Roman. "You want me to handle all that, boss, or you need backup taking Ms. Larson's statement?"

"You know more about all that technological stuff than I do," Roman said. He smiled slightly at Eve. "I'm old school."

"You're better than nothing," Eve said, "but tell me, what exactly is it you're doing to find my little girl?" Eric put his arm around her.

Roman glanced at Eric, frowning, before saying, "I still need to ask you some questions. Now we got the photos the perp sent, but it might help us if you gave us a recent photo of her too. Now, first question: does my son actually know anything about this?"

"I was here when she got the text," Eric said, "but otherwise I know as much as you do. Oh, and Eve had been saying that she was worried because Paige was supposed to come by, when was it, a few hours ago?"

Eve nodded. "She had been by earlier, but I was getting one of my migraines, you know, I get them when I'm under stress. Anyway, I sent her to the pharmacy to get me some aspirin, and that…" Eve's voice cracked. "That was the last I saw of her."

"Why were you stressed out?" Roman asked.

"Huh?" Eve dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

"You said you were stressed. Why?" Roman glanced at Eric again. "Eric, don't answer. Your girlfriend needs to speak for herself."

Eve managed a laugh. "Oh, Eric's not my boyfriend. I can't imagine someone like him would ever be interested in someone like me, although the look on your face right now would be an added bonus if we ever did get together."

"Eve," Eric said softly. "Don't let him get to you." He turned towards Roman. "Do you think you could remember for a moment why you're here? The withering glances you're sending Eve's way don't really do much to help rescue Paige from the clutches of whoever's taken her. No matter what it is you think of Eve or of my friendship with her, I have no doubt that girl is suffering, and I called you because I expected you to have the same compassion you would have for any other crime victim, and in fact, the same compassion you had for me after we found out what Kristen Dimera did to me."

"Eric's right," Rafe said. "I don't wanna talk out of turn, boss, but every minute counts here." He turned towards Eve. "Did you and Paige have some kind of fight?"

"Of course not. My daughter loves me, and she knows I love her."

"Well, okay," Rafe said, "but you said you were stressed out when she left, so I thought maybe something happened. That could explain her state of mind, and where she might have gone when she ran into whoever took her."

"Well, we did have a little tiff, but it wasn't anything major." Eve sighed. "It's just, look, I had to take in a boarder when Paige left and Paige never quite warmed up to the idea. Now I was going to tell her myself today that I finally decided on somebody, but - "

"You mean Jill," Eric interrupted, looking puzzled. He turned towards Roman. "Eve's being way too modest. She's decided to foster this young woman who has been living on the streets, try to give her the opportunity for a better life."

"Mmm hmm," Roman said, sounding doubtful. Eric gave him a sour look. "This young woman have a name?"

"Jill," Eve said. "Oh God, you don't think she had anything to do with this, do you? She couldn't… I mean, I know she can be a pest, she wore me down about living here, but I don't think she'd hurt a fly." Eve's mind raced, trying to find some way to get the cops' focus off Jill. Sniffing, she said, "Anyway, I don't think she'd be able to, right now, even if she… even if she hated Paige enough to…"

Eric put his hand on Eve's shoulder. "What she means, Dad, is Jill is pregnant. I met her earlier and she could barely walk. There's no possible way she could overpower a teenage girl."

"Nevertheless," Roman said, still staring at Eric and Eve, "we'll have to talk to her at some point to see if she knows anything about this."

"Why?" Eve demanded. "Why are you wasting time with people who couldn't possibly have hurt my daughter while the person who did still has her?"

"We're going to have to talk to everyone who may have come in contact with Paige recently," Rafe told her, "so that we can try to piece together what happened and who was involved. Now, do you have any idea where Paige went after she left your apartment?"

"She stopped at some kind of club or bar or something. I called her to find out where she'd gotten to, and there was all this noise, and she said she had stopped to have a soda after getting my medicine. I'm just so afraid she was meeting some boy, and he's the one who hurt her."

Rafe wrote that down. "She have a boyfriend?"

"No!" Eve said. "She finally came to her senses about JJ Deveraux, and I haven't heard her talk about any boy since. But who knows what she was doing? That boy taught her to lie and sneak around and maybe…. maybe that's why she wasn't careful."

Ignoring that, Rafe asked, "Anyone you can think of who'd want to hurt her?"

Eve shook her head. "She hardly even knows anyone! The only friend in the world she has is… is her roommate Daphne… "

Rafe asked, "What about Paige's father? Could he…"

"He lives in Miami," Eve said. "I guess he could have come up here but he's never been… I mean Paige hasn't talked to him since she was 15 but as I remember… he adored her… he'd never…"

"All right," Roman said. "Rafe, can you get those photos off her phone or do we need to borrow it?"

"Already done, boss," Rafe said. "You wanna interview Jill now?"

"Let her sleep. She might know something, but in her condition she's not likely to be involved. Have her give us a call when she wakes up, Ms. Donovan." Roman handed Eve his card and nodded goodbye to his son, frowning.

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I thought you didn't want to do this now, Nicole."

"I don't. But since you asked, we might as well get it all out in the open so that maybe you can focus on Parker. I realize his health takes a back seat to the drama of our non-traditional relationship, so let's go for it."

"Nicole. There is no relationship."

"Relationship, friendship, whatever. You asked, now I get to answer." Nicole glared at Daniel. "Look," she said, trying her best to stay calm for Parker's sake, "even if I thought there was any chance for us to be anything other than whatever the hell it is we are, I know you're not in a place to make that decision. Parker's illness makes everyone who cares about him vulnerable, even you, and I would never take advantage of you that way."

"And yet," Daniel said heavily, "you couldn't just answer my question without pushing for more."

"You started it, not me!" Nicole snapped. "Look, for the last six months you've done all the talking about exactly what you thought of me. Well, now for once, I get to talk and you get to listen."

"What happened to not doing this in front of - "

"In front of Parker? Don't worry, I'm sure you can explain it all away just like you explained away why I wasn't even in your life." Anger Nicole hadn't allowed herself feel was rising in her. "Look, Daniel, I'd rather talk about this big decision you're facing, but apparently it wasn't important enough to push the stupid thing I did the other night out of your head for 30 more seconds. So give me five minutes to get this out of my system and then if you still want to forget about it forever, you can."

"Fine." Daniel crossed his arms now. "But just do me a favor and keep your voice low."

Nicole sighed. "Look, Daniel, last year, before I shredded those papers… I had everything I wanted. And ever since then, every minute of every day I realize what I threw away, and for what?" She shook her head. "I deserved your anger, even though six months of silent treatment was a little bit of overkill. I had a lot of time to think, since nobody in Salem dared stand up against paragons of virtue like you and Eric and actually treat me like I had any worth."

"Nicole - "

"Let me finish." Nicole sighed deeply. "It took me a long time, but I think I finally understand why I let myself get sucked into a web of lies again."

"We've been over this a million times, Nicole. I get that you didn't want to lose Eric, and that you were so afraid of him breaking your heart, you did it for him."

"Yes, but Daniel, that wasn't the whole story. Listen. The lies, and the manipulations, and the stupidity… it all started back in the days when I was newly sprung from the church and hadn't gone back to being Salem's most fallen woman, when I was so eager for him to let us prove what Kristen Dimera did to him that I told him that I was involved with you. My relationship with him began with me admitting you and I weren't anything, and it ended with me pretending that you wished that lie was the truth." Nicole blinked hard and said, slowly, moving towards Daniel, "For once I want to tell the whole truth, and Daniel that is… I kept lying to Eric about what you and I were because I… I was in love with you and I couldn't admit to myself that I wanted you to feel about me the way I pretended you did."

Daniel shook his head, sadly. "Nicole, you know that can never happen."

"I know." Nicole blinked hard. "If these last few months have taught me anything, it's that the worst lie is the one you tell yourself over and over until you forget you don't believe it. For once I'm living with no illusions, Daniel, no misrepresentations, just reality. The other night I was wrong to have given in one last time to the thought that maybe you felt the same way about me that I feel about you. When you pulled away from me, I realized that was just a fantasy, that no matter how badly I want our friendship to cross the line all the way over to something else, it's never going to happen. " Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Daniel said softly. "I… Nicole, if I've given you false hope, if I've made you think that maybe there's something between us, that maybe there could be - "

"You didn't. You just opened my eyes." Nicole wrung her hands together. "What I'm trying to say, Daniel, is that I finally realize that what I want, I just can't have… and I could hold on my whole life, waiting, or I could just let it go. Me and you… it's just another way of me choosing to be someone's second choice, and I can't do that anymore."

"Good. I'm glad you realize that, and I hope you mean it, Nicole, but - "

"But the one thing I will never give up on is our friendship. Maybe it's not what I wanted, but I'll get over that eventually. You're still really important to me, Daniel, and if you can handle being my friend despite everything, I can handle being yours. Just friends, nothing else. I promise."

"Yeah?" Daniel sighed. "That sounds good on paper, Nicole, but what happens… what happens if I move on with someone else?"

Nicole blinked back tears, but she said, "You think I make everything all about me, but you're wrong, Daniel. I really do care about you. So whether it's Jennifer - "

"It's not, and that right there tells me you're not - "

"I wasn't finished. Whether it's Jennifer or someone new, I'll support you and your relationship. All I ask, Daniel, is please, choose someone who treats you the way you deserve to be treated, because I won't just stand idly by while someone hurts you. But if you're happy, I'm happy." Nicole glanced at Parker. "So now that we've cleared that up, can we please focus on Parker and this big decision you have to make?"

After the police left, Eve said to Eric, "I guess you should go for now too. I've caused you more than enough trouble."

Eric squeezed her shoulder. "Hey. What happened to your daughter isn't your fault. I just wish I could be of more help."

"Well, there is one thing you can do for me."

"Yes, you were about to ask me something when my father got here. What is it?"

Eve sighed. She turned towards Eric, and he was afraid she was going to try to kiss him. "Eve, we talked about this, and as much as I'm flattered, I don't think it would be good for you if I went along with what you want right now."

Eve reddened. "Eric, what do you take me for? Do you really think I could think of sex at a time like this?"

"I'm sorry. I just thought…"

"I know, I know, I flirt a lot. But it's harmless, I swear. Besides, what kind of person would I be if the night my daughter disappeared, I… I did that?"

Eric squeezed her shoulder. "Let's start again. What can I do for you?"

Eve sighed. "Well as you know, my sister Theresa is your cousin. I have to tell her what happened to her niece, but I'm just not up for it tonight, plus…" Eve couldn't help lowering her voice a little. "You have more of a way with her. Do you think you could do me one tiny little favor and… and tell her…" Eve's voice broke. "Tell her that Paige is missing?"

Eric was quiet. Then he took Eve's hand and said, "Of course."

Rafe got Hope on Skype so he could fill her in on the case. "Are you sure you don't want me to come back in?" Hope asked. "I could get a sitter for Ciara… I hate to do it, since I told her I'd be home for the night, but I can explain it to her."

"We got it for now," Rafe told her. "Boss would kill me if I dragged you back in. Anyway, right now we're mostly waiting on a bunch of stuff. Tech's pinging both phones-the one that sent the photos and Paige Larson's-to try to get a location on her, and we also got a guy looking at the photos to see if they give us anything. In the meantime, Abe's trying to get ahold of Paige's roommate; he figured we might as well start there."

"Okay," Hope said. "Speaking of tech, I got some news about the computer traces you asked for earlier. Mind filling me in on what that's about?"

"That? That's a favor I'm doing for Nicole Walker. Someone's harassing her intern. Sorry they bothered you."

"Actually, I think it's kind of important and it might relate to this case." Hope sighed. "I've been struggling with whether or not to tell my cousin Jennifer ever since I heard from the guy. Apparently whoever's sending these messages tried to make it look like JJ Deveraux was doing it." Hope sighed. "Someone has it in for JJ, but we don't know enough to do anything about it, and my cousin is so overprotective of him."

"I know. I just came from there." Rafe sighed. "But that's a story for another day. Right now I'm thinking, the same guy's behind all of this, and I'd bet anything it's our friend who was robbing the dorms."

"You think?"

"Think about it, Hope. Someone grabs JJ's ex-girlfriend the same day Nicole calls me about getting a threat against the kid? Plus back when he was just a robber, Jeff set up JJ's best friend to be robbed, then turned around and fingered him to take the heat off himself. And then there's Bev Walters, who JJ used to run around with when he was doing drugs, and who knows what her involvement in this is.

"Now, Nicole told me Jeff showed up in her office expecting to get that job, and she thinks he might have caught on to who she hired instead. So I'm thinking… those robberies were practice, and this kidnapping… it's not just for ransom. It's part of a plot to get revenge against JJ for getting the internship."

Hope nodded. "That could be. But unfortunately, there's something else we haven't considered."

"What's that?"

"Eve Donovan. Back when Paige and JJ were dating, the idea of Jennifer's son being involved with her daughter was driving her crazy. I hate to say it, but given how hard she worked to break them up, I wouldn't put it past her to have involved herself in this."

"I dunno." Rafe sighed. "She seemed in shock, and her story made sense."

"I'm not saying she's definitely involved, but we have to consider the possibility." Hope sighed. "Anyway, with JJ being Paige's ex-boyfriend, I guess one of us is going to have to interview him so that it doesn't look like we're playing favorites."

"Yeah, that's pretty standard. Do you mind doing it? Since you're his mom's cousin, he might be more comfortable."

"Of course. I'll try to make it clear it's just a formality at this point, and see if maybe there's anything he can tell us about Paige that links this to Jeff Adkins."

"Yeah. Chances are he knows something and if we can get it out of him - " Rafe's phone beeped. He glanced at it. "That's the tech guy now. I'll let you know what he's got for me." He hung up.

Hope stared at the tablet for a second. Then she slowly got up and opened the door to Ciara's bedroom. Ciara looked so whole, so peaceful, as she lay on her back, breathing evenly.

The memory of Ciara's kidnappers emailing her a photo of Ciara all tied up popped into her head. _If Eve isn't involved in this, I know exactly what she's going through, _Hope thought. Suddenly, she saw Ciara ten years from now, going to school somewhere, her hair long and flowing and beautiful… and she heard Marissa's description of her attack running through her head while she looked at her daughter sleeping.

"Oh baby, what kind of world are you going to grow up into?" Hope whispered.

Chloe took a second to run her hand through her hair before opening the door. Philip looked like he hadn't bothered with much before coming down to see her; his suit wasn't as well put together as usual and his hair was a little messy. Chloe even thought she saw the beginnings of a beard, though that might have been her imagination. There wasn't a lot of light in the hallway.

"Hi," she said, breathlessly.

Philip handed Chloe a flower. The flower had two large blossoms sticking out of the same branch, and a smaller bud underneath. She looked at it, puzzled.

"I would have been here a few minutes sooner," Philip said, "but I didn't want to come empty handed. The baby bud is Parker, and the larger blossoms - "

"Are you and me."

Philip nodded.

Chloe said nothing, just stood there blinking back tears, until Philip said, "So, can I come in?"

"Of course. Sorry, my manners have kind of gone out the window."

"What manners?" Philip joked, but Chloe gave him a look. "Just kidding, Chloe, you should know that." He came all the way in. Chloe closed the door; Philip squeezed her shoulder and said, "Wow, you're tense. Not that it's not understandable, given the circumstances. Tell me everything. How's Parker? How soon is the surgery? When can I see him?"

"Just a second," Chloe said. "I'll answer all your questions, I promise, but first, I need to do this…" She looked around her room for something to put the flower in, and settled on a coffee cup, since she didn't have a vase. "...and this." Putting the cup down on a table, she embraced Philip.

Tears rolled down Chloe's face as Philip hugged her back. "My sweet dark swan," Philip said softly. "I had no idea it was this bad or I would have offered to come down sooner."

"It's okay. I just didn't realize how much I missed you until right now."

"I missed you too." Philip stroked Chloe's hair. "But tell me the news, before we get distracted."

Chloe sighed. "Distraction is exactly what I need right now."

Philip took her hand and they walked over to the bed together, where they sat down on the edge. "The heart specialist is coming tomorrow," Chloe said, "the new one I mean. I think even Daniel will listen if they still recommend the surgery."

"Good." Philip said.

"Tonight Daniel's staying in Parker's room, or I would take you over there right now. I can't wait til you meet him, Philip… well, re-meet him."

"Me too." Philip smiled slightly, and Chloe breathed in sharply. His smile always had the same effect on her, no matter what else was going on. "I have something for him, too. I thought a present might cheer him up."

Chloe nodded. "I'm sorry you missed so much time with him."

"Me too. But none of that matters now. We're going to make sure he gets through this, and then make up for lost time." Philip looked into Chloe's eyes. "I hope it's not insensitive to say this right now, but all I have to do is take one look at you and I realize how stupid I was to try to give you space. I will never, ever make that same mistake again, Chloe… I want to be there for you and for Parker from now on."

Chloe could feel her face getting hot. Her insides were quivering just from Philip being near her and from the quiet intensity of his voice. "Um," she said, "just so you know, Parker might need a few minutes to warm up to you tomorrow."

Philip turned away from her. "That's fine," he said, his voice flat. He got up. "Um, I wasn't sure if I needed to make other arrangements, so I didn't rent my own room… I guess I'd better call my father and make sure I'm welcome at the mansion tonight."

"Philip…" Chloe said.

"I shouldn't have thought you'd want me to stay here. I mean, with Parker's illness and everything, obviously it's the wrong time for me to impose on you. Just do me a favor and call me tomorrow before you head over so that I can meet you at the hospital."

"Philip, stop!" Chloe said. "Just because we had a second of awkwardness doesn't mean you have to leave." She reached up, ran her hand through his hair. "Parker's not the only one who needs a few minutes to warm up."

"After all this time, you need to warm up to me?"

Chloe put her arms around him. "No. I just need time to warm up to the idea that forever is really going to happen for us. So what do you say, Soldier? Want to stay?"

"Of course I do." Philip took Chloe's hand. "But only if you're absolutely sure this is what you want tonight."

"I do," Chloe whispered.

"About JJ?" Paige asked. Her voice sounded funny to her and she felt lightheaded. She wondered if she was drunk.

"That's right." Jeff took another sip of the beer. "You can start by telling me who's important to him. I know he lives with his mom. Who else?"

"He'd do anything for his mom or sister," Paige mumbled. "And Rory, God he's so loyal to Rory. I don't know why. He's such a better person and could have better friends than that loser, even if Rory didn't rob anybody." Jeff's eyes narrowed, but Paige ignored that, saying, "Oh and Daniel J...Jonas… he saved JJ's life and JJ would do anything for him… actually, JJ's loyal to everyone except me, me he cheats on."

Jeff put the beer bottle to Paige's lips. "Take another sip and tell me what happened."

Paige didn't resist this time. A warm, relaxed feeling spread through her stomach. It didn't make sense to feel that way while she was tied up and being interrogated. She said, "It's so sad… I loved him so much and I thought he loved me… but did you know he already has another girlfriend? So much for true love. Maybe she's prettier than me, I dunno… I always knew he'd leave just like everyone always left my mom, so maybe I can't blame him…."

Jeff snapped his fingers. "Focus. What happened?"

"At a party," Paige mumbled. "Some slut named Jill…" she blinked back tears. "She's pregnant you know...found out at my mom's door...can you believe that? At my mom's...she's staying there…" Paige swallowed hard. "You know what's the worst?" she asked, her head spinning. "Even after...after all that...I'm still in love with the bastard." Tears began running down her face; even though she knew it was a bad idea, she let them.

Jeff's eyes widened, and for a second Paige thought hatred flashed through them. But then he said, softly, "He is a bastard, isn't he, Paige? He hurt you just like he hurt me. That's why we… we have to get him back." He leaned in close. "Tell me, Paige, what's JJ's deepest dream? What does he want so much he can't think of anything else, so bad he can taste it and feel it and can't help talking about it, even if everyone else thinks he's crazy? What does he want so bad that if it was taken from him, it would crush him?"

"I don't know…" Paige sniffed. "I thought it was me, but it's not. I don't know him anymore, maybe I never did…"

"Ssh," Jeff said. He reached out and touched Paige's ear with his fingertips. She shivered but didn't try to pull away. "You knew him better than anyone until he betrayed you, Paige. What did he dream of?" Paige shook her head. "Think, Paige. Think. What was he about? He must have told you, you must have known."

"Music," Paige mumbled. "He was music."

"That guitar you mean?"

"He put so much passion in the guitar...God, he's one of a kind."

"Good girl." Jeff tilted Paige's head up and fed her the rest of his beer. "You deserve a reward, Paige. Close your eyes, sweetheart… that's right." Paige blinked, then found her eyes closing. She felt Jeff's hand moving through her hair, stroking her ear and her cheek. Then she felt Jeff's lips on hers, pressing, kissing her. Her ears buzzed and she felt a little dizzy. She thought she should be scared or upset, but she just felt good, good enough that she began to kiss Jeff back.

Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I dunno. I, uh, I wanted your opinion about Parker's treatment but Nicole, I gotta admit, after this conversation, I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"I'm sorry," Nicole said. She bit her lip. "Actually, you know what? I'm not, and I'm tired of apologizing when I haven't done anything wrong. If you want my help with whatever this is you're all tied up in knots about, then start talking. Otherwise, I might as well go because I have better things to do than stand here and get punished again just for having feelings."

"I'm not trying to punish you. I'm just… wow, Nicole, somehow even though we weren't going to talk about us, that's exactly what we ended up doing, and I am… I am still reeling from what you just said."

Nicole stared at him. "You know what, Daniel? Your problem isn't with me. It's with yourself. You don't know what the hell is going on with the little boy on the other side of the room, and you can't admit how scared you are. You didn't start this because you had an emergency need to make sure you weren't leading me to think there was a chance… no, Daniel, you started in on me because I'm a convenient distraction, and I'm so used to living with a target on my back that I fell for it."

"Nicole - "

"Last chance, Daniel," Nicole said. "I'm about three seconds from making a dramatic exit and letting you be the one to beg me to talk to you for a change. Stop using me to distract yourself from him."

Daniel glanced at Parker, then back at Nicole. "You're right," he said. "I'm sorry, Nicole, I shouldn't have jumped down your throat like that. I did the same thing to Chloe the other day and she didn't deserve it either."

"No, you shouldn't have. But for Parker's sake, let's put the three-act tragedy on hold, okay?"

Daniel looked at Parker again. Parker was playing with the ambulance from the hospital set again, talking to it in a low voice so Nicole couldn't make out exactly what he was saying. "The medication… it's only the first step, Nicole. Victor found some specialist in Switzerland, one of the world's top heart doctors, and he might say something different, but for now… they're talking about Parker needing exploratory surgery."

"What's that?"

"Just what it sounds like. Surgery to see if he needs more surgery."

"Well that makes a ton of sense." Nicole sighed. "Look, Daniel, I'm not a doctor like you. I'm just an expert in pain and heartbreak. But the good news is, there are people who know about these things, right? Maybe we… um, _you_ shouldn't panic yet."

Daniel shrugged.

"I'm the last person to talk about patience, but maybe that's just what you need now." Nicole massaged Daniel's shoulders. "That and a good cry." Her phone rang, but she ignored it.

Daniel said, "You can get that if you need to. I'm okay, I promise."

"You're not, but this is kind of awkward, anyway." Nicole glanced at her phone. "It's work," she said uncertainly.

"Go for it."

"Sally?" Nicole said into the phone. "Wait, what? Hold on, let me…" She gestured towards the door, and Daniel nodded. He stared at the door as it closed behind her, then went to sit by his son.

The area of the park where they found Paige's phone had been cordoned off with crime scene tape by the time Rafe met Abe. Abe was reading something on Paige's phone while Rafe pulled on a pair of gloves. He showed it to Rafe, who read aloud, "Bev, it's Paige. I'm here in the park. Are you okay?" He stared at the screen.. "Hmm...the number she was texting's the same one that sent the photos to the mother."

"Yep," Abe said heavily.

"So," Rafe said. "What are you thinking?"

"Obviously she was taken from here," Abe said. "The perp probably startled her, made her drop the phone, then forced her out this way." He gestured towards the parking lot behind the park. "From what I've seen, Paige isn't incredibly tall, but I'd say she's bigger than the average woman and I don't think she'd be all that easy to overpower. So either she was chloroformed, or our guy had a weapon."

Rafe nodded. He walked around the crime scene, looking for additional clues. "Hey, look at this," he said, bending over some nearby bushes. "Broken branches, footsteps leading away from here."

"Hmm. Thousands of people walk through this park every day, but they don't usually hide in the bushes. Do you think he took her through here?"

"It was after dark. You saw how deserted this area was when we got here. So he wouldn't have had to hide her."

Abe nodded. "The only other explanation was that someone else was in the bushes. But why would someone watch and not try to help?"

"I dunno." Rafe sighed, glancing down at the phone. "Bev…," he said slowly, his eyes widening. "Did Hope tell you about Bev Walters' visit to the station today?"

"I haven't had a chance to consult with her yet."

"Okay, well, the girl came in, and something was off about her. To make a long story short, we thought she was trying to tell us she was being abused, but she was too scared of her abuser to say so."

"And now?"

"I'm not sure, but I'm getting the feeling she knew already how this was gonna go down. Maybe we read it all wrong. I think… I think she wanted to tell us about it, but she got cold feet and ran off to help with the crime after all."

Jennifer flipped through channels on the TV, trying to ignore the bad feeling rising in her stomach. She sighed and picked up her phone. JJ's phone rang five times, then the voicemail picked up.

"JJ," Jennifer said, trying not to sound angry or upset, "it's Mom. I know you think that I'm being ridiculous, and I can't really enforce a curfew, but honey it's past 10 and if you don't walk through that door within the next few minutes I am really going to freak out. Please, sweetheart, at least call me and let me know you're okay. I know you don't believe it, but I love you so much."

There was a soft knock on the door as Jennifer hung up. She took a deep breath to control herself before pulling the door open.

It was Hope, holding Ciara, who was fast asleep on her shoulder. "Sorry to bother you so late, cuz," Hope whispered, "but I need to talk to you."

"Come in," Jen said. "Please." She closed the door behind Hope and said, "It's JJ, isn't it?"

"KInd of," Hope said.

"What's happened to him? Was it an accident or - "

"Oh honey, no, it's nothing like that, at least not as far as I know. Wait, let me just get Ciara settled, and I'll explain." Hope put her foot on the step. "It is okay if she sleeps here while we talk, isn't it? I've been working so many night shifts… I didn't want to be away from her tonight."

Jennifer nodded. As Hope walked up the steps, she picked up a photo of JJ with Jack from the mantle. They'd taken it last time they'd visited him at boarding school, the last time they were together as a family. Jen looked into Jack's eyes and said, under her breath, "You'd better be watching over our son, Jack Deveraux. It's bad enough I lost you. If after all this I lose him too, I don't know what I'll do."

Hope came back down and Jen hurriedly put the photo back and turned around, trying to look normal.

"So," Jen said, "is Ciara all right up there?"

"Oh yeah, yeah. She was so exhausted she didn't stir. Which is a good thing, because she's heard all about how you inherited Grandma's baking skills, unlike me, and she wants to see what a kitchen is actually used for. Do you think tomorrow you might - "

"Of course." Jen smiled, then the smile faded. "But first, Hope, please, just tell me, what the hell is going on?"

Bev pulled against the ropes binding her to the bed post, but she couldn't loosen them. The room darkened; Jeff must have left and closed the curtain behind him.

"Paige," Bev whispered, glad she had talked Cole out of gagging her. Paige didn't answer. Bev's eyes widened. She was facing the wall and couldn't really turn around to see what was going on, but she'd heard Jeff slap Paige and some weird noises and bits of conversation, and she was scared for her.

Bev pushed against the wall with her feet, trying to see if she could move the bed. It moved slightly. She leaned back to see if she could get the leg she was tied to off the ground at all. It felt like it was loose, but she couldn't move it. Exhausted, she gave up temporarily, realizing Paige being tied to the other side of the frame was probably holding the bed down.

"Paige," Bev said again, a little louder, in the hopes Paige would hear and respond.

"Huh?" Paige's voice was slurred, as if she had been sleeping.

"How can you sleep at a time like this?" Bev asked. "Listen, we have to - "

"How could you be so cruel?" Paige interrupted.

"Cruel? What?"

"You got me, Bev," Paige said. "You got me right where you want me, all tied up and away from JJ forever. Happy now?"

Bev's eyes filled with tears. "I'm so sorry, Paige," she said. "They made me, I didn't want to…"

"Yeah, right." Paige sighed. "Don't lie, Bev. You're happy about what happened to me. Poor stupid Paige, she'll help anybody, right? So why not use that against me? It's not like I'm a human being too or anything. After all, I caught JJ's eye when you wanted him, right? This is low even for you, Bev. How can you be so horrible?"

"You know what?" Bev said. "Getting kidnapped and tied up hasn't changed the fact you're a stuck up bitch. Maybe Cole was right and you deserve everything you're getting now."

Paige didn't answer. Bev leaned back, struggling to pull the leg up again. It moved up a tiny bit, but not enough for her to slide her bound hands off it.

"He kissed me," Paige said, and stifled a sob.

"What?" Bev lowered the leg again and lay still, trying to catch her breath.

"He made me close my eyes," Paige said, her speech even more slurred than it had been a moment ago. "Then he kissed me and… and… oh God… I kissed him back."

Bev slowly twisted herself around the leg of the bed, trying to make her body face Paige's. The rope dug into her as she moved and she had to stop and turn back towards the wall, but not before she caught a glimpse of the tears rolling down Paige's face. "What's wrong with me?" Paige asked. "There's no need to cry. JJ didn't cry when he did it to me. It should feel good to get even."

"JJ never did anything to you," Bev said. "Not with me, anyway, and not cause I wasn't trying, either."

"Not you. Jill… she's pregnant…" Paige sobbed softly.

Bev stared at the wall, saying nothing. She actually felt sorry for Paige. She didn't know what Jeff had made Paige take, but it seemed to be affecting her badly, and she hadn't really wanted to hurt her. Not this way, anyway.

"Ssh, Paige, listen," Bev said, keeping her voice low. "We'll...we'll talk about it after we get out of here, okay?"

"Who says we're getting out?" Paige sniffed. "No, Bev, we're not getting out. When Jeff and Cole get bored, they'll get rid of us. We're gonna die here, cause that's what they do. I saw it on a crime show."

"Stop, Paige," Bev said under her breath. "Guys like Jeff can smell fear. Even you should know that."

"Even me? What do you mean, even me? Do you think I'm stupid?" Paige sighed. "Maybe I am. I got into Stanford and I stayed here. That's pretty stupid, especially when JJ…" She stifled another sob. "It's my mom, Bev, she's why I'm so dumb. She doesn't want me to grow up, not ever. She makes me stupid and I'll tell you another thing, she does it on purpose."

"Shut up!" Bev tried to be forceful without being loud. "Otherwise they'll gag you again just to get some sanity, and then we won't be able to talk at all." She lowered her voice. "And I have an idea," she said in a near-whisper, "so you need to pull yourself together."

"Okay…"

"If we can get the bed up a little," Bev explained, "I think I can slide my hands off it. Then if I can get over to you somehow, maybe we can untie each other."

"Really? Oh Bev, I love you!"

_She is so drunk, _Bev thought. Ignoring Paige's outburst, she said, "Just lean back when I say and try to pull it up. You'll have to hold it til I tell you you can let go, okay?"

"Oh...kay..." Paige practically sang.

"Now." Bev leaned back too. The bed began to move up… but Paige let go too soon and it crashed back down, pushing Bev forward a little and making the ropes dig into her wrists. She groaned quietly.

"Sorry, sorry!" Paige said.

"Ssh," Bev whispered. She flopped back against the pole and pretended to be asleep in case the boys came to check on the noise.

Chloe had gone into the bathroom to change for the night. Philip thought it was silly-even though it had been a long time, it wasn't like they'd never seen each other's bodies before, and before Parker had gotten sick, he had hoped that he and Chloe were soon going to move back in that direction again. But she insisted, so he was content to wait outside. He supposed he should just get ready for bed himself, but instead he wandered around the room, picking up the pictures of Parker that Chloe had scattered around.

_Parker's first word came when Philip was bathing him. Parker squeezed a rubber duckie someone gave him for the bath, and it squeaked. Parker giggled and made it squeak again and again. _

"_All right, big guy," Philip said. "Let's get all the soap washed off you."_

"_Daddy," Parker said as Philip took a bath sponge and rubbed the soap off Parker's belly. Philip stopped and stared at him. "What did you say, buddy?" he asked. "Daddy," Parker said again, and clapped his hands._

Philip put the photo down that he was looking at. He blinked back tears, not sure if he was upset by the memory or by the fact that he might never have the chance to make new memories for Parker now. He smiled sadly as his father's voice ran through his head, telling him sternly that Kiriakises don't ever allow themselves to think like that.

The bathroom door opened, distracting Philip from his thoughts. He turned his head slowly. Chloe stood in the doorway. She had changed into a silver nightie that was cut just low enough to tease Philip about what lay beneath it and had put her hair down. Without makeup, she looked even more beautiful to Philip.

"Wow," he said, feeling like it was the moment Chloe took off her wrap at the Last Blast Dance all over again.

"Yeah, wow," Chloe deadpanned. "I guess I don't know you as well as I thought, Philip Kiriakis...I was sure you'd be getting ready too."

Philip shrugged. "I wanted to see what you had in mind, first."

Chloe came closer to him; his heart beat faster. "Bathroom's all yours," she said, "or, you know, I could help you." She reached up and loosened his tie.

He kissed her lightly. She embraced him, kissing him harder, as she pulled his tie off and threw it on the floor.

After getting everything they could from the area of the park where Paige had been kidnapped, Rafe and Abe followed the trail to the parking lot behind it. It was completely deserted; there wasn't a single car left, and the lot was very dark.

"If it was like this when she got here, alarm bells should have been going off," Rafe said.

"Well, she's a teenage girl. She might not have thought anything of it. Besides, earlier in the evening, maybe this lot wasn't quite as dark." Abe looked around. "I don't suppose there's any cameras here."

"No, though maybe the security cameras across the street at the square caught something." Rafe squatted down. "Millions of tire tracks; she could have been forced into any one of these cars and taken who knows where."

"Well, her roommate had lent her a car, plus if she'd been taken in someone else's vehicle, hers would still be here. After this I'll head over to break the news to the roommate and ask her a couple of questions. Maybe she had one of those GPS tracking systems to protect against theft."

"Yeah, we should be so lucky." Rafe sighed.

Abe gave him a sidelong glance. "What's up?"

Rafe shook his head. "This guy's been doing a bang-up job of covering his tracks from the beginning. Just like with the robberies, he's left almost nothing for us to go on, and you know the stats as well as I do. If we don't find her within 48 hours, chances are all we'll ever turn up is a body." He sighed deeply. "We knew it was him behind the robberies, but we just couldn't prove it, and we didn't wanna let on our suspicions too early, so we left him alone. Should have picked him up on some bogus charge and got the truth out of him before it escalated to this."

"Come on," Abe said. "You know as well as I do that hindsight is 20/20. You don't know that pushing him would have accomplished anything productive. He might have clammed up, gotten a lawyer… and if you had to cut him loose, who knows who he might have hurt."

"I appreciate the talk, but I dunno." Rafe stared at the ground. "If we don't find that girl, maybe her blood's on my hands. When the Walters girl left the station, Hope wanted to have her tailed, but I talked her out of it. Maybe if we'd got that tail after all we could have stopped it before we began."

"You'd better snap out of this," Abe told him, "because looking behind you isn't going to help us find Paige Larson. And all of it is a moot point, anyway, because we will find her."

"I hope so, boss," Rafe said. "I hope so."

"So what's the big news?" Nicole asked Sally, trying to sound casual. Her mind was still half stuck on her conversation with Daniel, while the other half was racing, imagining all sorts of new developments in Jeff's threats against JJ, none of them good.

At her apartment, Sally had her feet up on the coffee table and was sipping a glass of red wine while she did something on the computer. "Well, I turned on my police scanner app so I could check in on our boy, make sure he's behaving himself."

"Or at least not getting caught," Nicole said, lightly.

"Exactly. Anyhow, I didn't get to hear too much before the cops jammed the frequency I was on, but they caught a big case, bigger even than the robberies. Now I think we should keep this from JJ til morning so he doesn't do anything rash, but I thought you should know… some college student went missing, and the cops are calling it a kidnapping."

"Really?" Nicole squeezed the phone. "Where'd it go down, that secluded area of Riverfront Park across from the town square?"

"You're good," Sally said, "or else you've been listening in,"

"Nah," Nicole said. "After you've been in Salem long enough, you get to know which areas to avoid. Just once, I'd like to see a criminal use some creativity, though. Everything bad goes down in the park-try something new for a change."

"Uh huh," Sally said. "Anyhow, from what I heard, that's exactly where the cops were rushing to. Sounds like a bunch of them are gonna pull an all nighter to try to find this kid. Must be someone important." She sipped her wine. "Listen, I'm already home for the night, but before I settle in with my glass of wine, let me know if you think I should run back to the office to help you cover this."

"What for? Miles is probably in bed by now or otherwise occupied so that for once he's not pushing us to drive up ratings. Better to investigate from where we are. I can get a secure chat going with whatever police sources Jeff Adkins hasn't sabotaged for me as soon as I make it back from the hospital."

"Gotcha. That way, our intern won't feel left out that we didn't call him in right away. But don't forget, the wifi in your hotel isn't exactly secure, even if the chat app is."

"No, but the wifi in Daniel's apartment is. Even though he's acting like a typical Salem Stepford husband right now, I'll go ahead and housesit for him again."

"Uh oh. What happened?"

"Never mind that right now. Let's just say that unlike him, I can keep my priorities straight."

"Men," Sally said disdainfully. "I'm glad I only like looking at them, never anything more."

Nicole giggled; it felt good. "Well, I'd better get going," she said. She could see someone coming down the hall towards Daniel's room. "Time's of the essence, and if I don't get off the phone right now I might have to answer to whoever that is who's coming this way."

"One more thing," Sally said. "Nicole, it was a girl."

"Huh?"

"The kidnap victim," Sally said, clicking on something on her computer. "If you were worried about JJ, it wasn't him."

Nicole laughed. "That thought never even crossed my mind."

"Uh huh," Sally said. "You know, you're a good liar when you try, Nicole, but when your heart's not in it…"

The person coming down the hall made it to the door. She looked vaguely familiar, and whispered to Nicole, "Is Parker's father in there?"

"Gotta go," Nicole told Sally. "Talk to you in a few." She hung up and said, "Yeah, but he's in a mood, so…"

"Is that why you're out here on the phone instead of inside supporting him?"

Nicole's eyes narrowed. "Hasn't Marlena Evans done enough to give shrinks a reputation for being professional busybodies without you adding to it?"

"I'm sorry. I seem to have upset you for some reason, and I don't quite know why."

"Then let me make it clear. Just because you're a medical professional and I'm nothing but a reporter for a semi-sleazy television news show, which by the way, is better than most of the other crap out there because I work hard to raise the standards, doesn't mean you get to pretend to be concerned about me. You can't use your psychobabble to try to control me and those few people who see through my tough exterior enough to still be my friends."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, "that you have been treated badly by whoever it is who you have me mixed up with, and please don't tell me who it is, because I would prefer to stay a stranger to whatever drama you have going on with them. Now I was prepared to offer you some support with whatever is going on between you and Dr. Jonas right now, but I can see you're not in the mood, so I'll leave you alone. If that ever changes, I'm sure you can figure out how to find me." Elizabeth opened the door, then turned around. "Oh, and Ms. Walker? No matter how few hands have been reached out to you in kindness, I hope you learn from this not to try to bite them when they come along." She disappeared into Parker's room and closed the door.

Jennifer sat on the couch, trying to process what Hope had just told her. "I can't believe it," she said softly. "I just saw Eve a few hours ago, and everything seemed normal then… well, normal for her, anyway."

"She probably didn't know yet. The kidnapper only contacted her about an hour ago." Hope frowned. "What were you doing at Eve's, anyway? Now that JJ and Paige aren't together, I thought you were trying to stay away from her."

"I was, but apparently she isn't willing to be as mature about it." Jennifer sighed. "Can you believe she put some pregnant girl up to telling me that JJ was the father of her baby?" Jennifer shook her head.

"Jill somebody?"

Jen's mouth dropped open. "You know her?"

"Not exactly. Eve said there was a pregnant girl staying with her. The idea of us questioning this girl to see if she knew anything about Paige's disappearance seemed to freak Eve out. She did everything but seduce Rafe in an effort to get him to back off, and if Eric hadn't been there, she probably would have tried that too."

"Eric? What is he doing mixed up with someone like Eve?"

"I have no idea, but with Paige missing, that's the least of our concerns. I think there's a lot more going on in Eve Donovan's apartment than meets the eye, and I just hope she's not involved in her own daughter's kidnapping. Anyway, what was she like while you were there? Did she seem nervous or upset?"

"Not any more than usual. She feigned shock that I would think she had anything to do with this girl telling me that she and JJ had had unprotected sex, got in a few digs about my son's character, and then threw me out. She was expecting Paige… oh my God." Jen's eyes widened. "You don't think it happened while I was there, do you?"

"It might have," Hope agreed. She glanced at the clock. "I thought you said JJ had a curfew now."

"He's supposed to have one." Jen checked her phone. "I hope he… oh, Hope, what if the same person who got Paige went after him?"

"Hey. Get a hold of yourself, cuz." Hope put her hand on Jen's shoulder. "Jennifer, the person who kidnapped Paige didn't do it randomly. They had a reason, maybe more than one. The message they sent Eve sounded like they were planning on demanding a ransom tomorrow. So if they had JJ, they would have sent you a similar message."

Jen nodded. "You're right. But this is exactly why I instituted a curfew in the first place, so I wouldn't worry about him with all the crime on the streets. He had better get home soon or I don't know what I might do."

"I'll wait up with you," Hope said, "and if you need me to help you kick his butt about this, I will."

"Thanks."

Hope sighed. "There's another reason I came over here, Jennifer." She played with her phone while getting her words together. "Whenever there's a kidnapping or a murder, we have to start our investigation with the people who are known to be close to the victim. In Paige's case, of course, the closest person is Eve, but if anything, she was orchestrating it behind the scenes, and in any case your visit to her and Eric's give her an alibi."

"Right," Jen said. "But you didn't come here to tell me that, did you?"

"No." Hope sighed. "Paige didn't have a boyfriend as far as we know. But she did have one ex-boyfriend, and that was JJ. Now you and I both know that he probably had very little, if anything, to do with this, but especially with his whereabouts being unknown right now… Jennifer, I'm sorry, but I have to ask him some questions about his possible involvement with Paige's disappearance."

Daniel was on the phone when Elizabeth tiptoed into the room. "Dr. Jarvik," he said, leaving a voicemail. This is Dr. Daniel Jonas… uh… you know, the father of the little boy you're coming to look at. I know you're traveling and that you might not be able to pick up the phone, but I was hoping to give you a heads-up that the other doctor on the case has recommended an exploratory procedure to check the status of Parker's heart, and I was hoping to discuss it with you right away."

He turned as he hung up the phone. "Parker's asleep, as you can see, so this is probably not the best time…"

"I agree." Elizabeth came all the way into the room. "He gets poked and prodded by all the real doctors, so maybe we should let him have his sleep."

"Yeah, so…"

"Where's Parker's mother tonight?" Elizabeth asked. "I know where your girlfriend is, since I ran into her outside. I guess the two of you had a fight or something."

"Nicole," Daniel said, "is nothing but a good friend, and anything that's happening between us falls firmly into the realm of none of your business."

"You're right," Elizabeth said, "and I did agree that I would focus only on Parker's care. I see he's been playing with the hospital set I left for him." She picked up the ambulance and put it back inside the set.

"Yeah. Uh, I don't know that he gets what an ambulance's for, but he likes trucks."

"That's a good start." Elizabeth glanced over at Parker, then said, "You know, Dr. Jonas, kids often pick up on more than we realize. While I do want to respect your privacy, it's important that you have appropriate outlets for your stress over this. If you're scared or angry, Parker might absorb those feelings or blame himself for them, and that can interfere with his ability to overcome his condition."

Daniel sighed but said nothing. Elizabeth said, "Well, I couldn't help overhearing that there's a new doctor coming in the morning, so I guess I'll be back sometime after that to see how Parker's doing." She turned to leave.

"Could you wait a second?" Daniel asked. "There is actually something I want to ask you."

"Of course." Elizabeth turned back.

"Uh, I don't know whether you know, they're talking about having to do a surgical procedure to check out where the heart damage is."

Elizabeth nodded. "I gathered. If it comes to it, I will work with Parker to make sure he's ready for it."

"I appreciate that. The thing is, uh…" Daniel took a breath to buy himself some time. "Me and Parker's mom, we have to decide whether we consent to the surgery and we gotta do it fast. As a doctor, I get that we gotta know exactly what we're dealing with so we can treat it, but as his father… I just wanna keep him away from having to go under the knife."

"You're scared for him and not sure what to do."

"Yeah, so I guess, what I'm wondering is… if, um, if I wanted some advice about whether or not I'm making the right decision for my son… is that… uh is that the kind of thing you do?"

"So what's up?" Theresa asked Eric uncertainly. She had put her hair up in a cute, messy bun and done her makeup the same way she would for a date, even if it was just her cousin the ex-priest. "I mean, let's face it, even you don't ask me out for coffee unless you want something."

"That's not true, Theresa," Eric told her. "I know a lot of the family is unwilling to overlook the things you've done, and I myself don't always approve of them, but - "

"I'm not looking for your approval," Theresa snapped, "or anybody's." She sighed and sipped her coffee, wishing it was something stronger. "Look," she said, a little softer, "you don't have to explain, okay? I know I'm the black sheep of the family, and now that you don't have to fulfill a daily quota of good deeds, there's no reason for you to hang out with me."

Eric sighed. "Theresa, just because I've resigned from the priesthood doesn't mean I've given up on hoping you could someday see yourself the way God sees you."

"That's special," Theresa observed. "Look, can we cut to the chase? What's going on, Eric?"

Eric sighed. "It's not that I want anything from you," he said softly. "It's that I have to tell you something. It's about your niece."

"What now? Paige only got a B+ on her science final? She threatened to disown my sister again? Let me guess, she decided to do a year abroad and Mommy's not invited." Theresa noticed that not only was Eric not smiling, but his eyes looked sad. "Seriously," she said, "what's wrong?"

"Theresa," Eric said slowly, "tonight your niece was kidnapped. The police are working around the clock to try to ensure her safe return, but nobody knows, really, what's happened to her or if we'll ever see her again."

Theresa's lower lip quivered for a moment. She swallowed hard and said, "That's terrible. But then again, I'm not surprised. Eve kept her precious little jewel so sheltered that she never had a chance. Sooner or later, someone was going to come along who seriously had bad intentions towards Paige, and they were going to get their way." She crossed her arms. "Eve couldn't be bothered to tell me herself?"

"Maybe she didn't want to deal with the way you pretend not to care!" Eric snapped. He looked down at the table, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Theresa. That came out wrong. But still, I know that you care about your niece, and your sister, despite your absolute refusal to let on that you do. By the way, the reason Eve asked me to tell you is that she's in no condition to talk about Paige's disappearance right now. But it would probably mean a lot to her if you gave her some support anyway."

"Don't tell me what to do! I'll handle my relationship with Eve my way, okay?"

"Of course. But even if you can't do it for Eve's sake, I think you should put your anger aside, for your own. Theresa, your niece is in trouble. Why can't you just admit that you're worried about her, that you care? For that matter, why are you so afraid of allowing yourself to care that Eve is beside herself with fear and worry for her daughter?"

"What do you know about my sister or her mental state anyway?" Theresa demanded.  
>And how did you end up getting roped in to giving me the bad news?" She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her eyes widening as something dawned on her. "Oh God," she said. "Don't tell me Eve's got her claws into you."<p>

Jennifer jumped up from the couch. "I'm sure JJ has some explanation for why he's late besides that he was busy kidnapping Paige!" She turned her back to Hope. "How could you think he - "

"I don't think it," Hope said softly. "But if I don't rule JJ out right now, then a defense lawyer could easily get the real kidnapper off by claiming we didn't investigate properly and that we were harassing his client when there was another suspect right in front of us."

"That doesn't even make sense," Jennifer argued. "Whoever has Paige is with her right now. Once you get her home safe, she can tell you who did it, and you might find them with her. So why are you harassing my son?"

"I hope it's that easy," Hope said, "but I've done this for long enough to know that it very rarely works out the way it should. The best case scenario is that we find Paige and the kidnapper together. But we might have to arrest someone and get them to tell us where she is, or worse, we might not find her alive."

"Right," Jennifer said flatly. "Who knows what this person's capable of. But Hope, you have to know my son has nothing to do with this."

"Like I said, I'm pretty sure. This is just to rule him out." Hope put her hand on Jen's shoulder. "I actually came here to make this easier for JJ...and for you. I could ask him to come down to the station, but especially given his recent behavior, that might freak him out unnecessarily. I thought he'd be more comfortable talking to me right here on Gran's couch, and then I could be here for both of you afterwards." Jen's lip trembled and Hope said, "I promise, cuz, I didn't come here to arrest JJ. I just need to get some information from him, that's all, and then I can just go back to being the cousin who looks out for him and helps back up his mom when she tells him to be home by 10."

"And you really don't think he had anything to do with it?" Jen asked.

"Of course not. Why, do you?"

Jen shook her head. "I know my son, and I know he's not capable of this. I just have this feeling that he's up to something else that he shouldn't be doing, and knowing what happened to Paige, that terrifies me."

A key turned in the lock. "That's probably him now," Hope said. Jen nodded as she went to open the door for her son.

Philip and Chloe had moved to the bed now, where they were cuddling and kissing. Philip put his arm around Chloe and said, "Hey, did you ever think we might become an old married couple, lying in bed together, wondering what might be on TV?"

"No," Chloe said, "at least, not the TV part. I could care less about what's on when I'm lying next to you."

"Point taken," Philip said softly. "I don't think I could take my eyes off you for long enough to watch TV anyway, not even if the stock report was on." He ran his hand through Chloe's hair.

Chloe turned towards him. "You don't think?" she said. "How about we remove all doubt?" She put her hand on his bare chest, playing with his hair, then slowly moved it down.

Philip closed his eyes. He was really enjoying what Chloe was doing, but then there was a voice in the back of his head…

"Chloe, wait, please," he said.

Chloe frowned. "What, after three years without me, you aren't ready to…"

"It's not that. I'm very ready."

"Then why wait?" she asked. "Why not make up for lost time, starting right now?"

Philip sighed. "It's just… with Parker sick and everything, it just feels wrong to…"

"To enjoy ourselves? To show each other how much we love each other? To pick up the pieces that that damn DNA report shattered and start again?"

"No, no…" Philip sighed. "I want you, Chloe, probably more than ever. That silver thing you're wearing makes me remember what it is to hunger for you, how much I've missed you, how stupid I've been. It's just…"

"Just what?"

"With everything going on, you're vulnerable, Chloe, very vulnerable. I came here tonight, not thinking about making love at all, and even though it sounds like a bad thing that you can do that to me, it's actually a good one. See, I don't want us to be just about sex. Right now, I just want to hold you in my arms and comfort you. Then tomorrow I want to meet my - I want to meet Parker all over again. Then I want to drive myself crazy with desire for you until this thing is all over and he's at home in Chicago like he's supposed to be… and then, my dark swan… then I want to take you places you've never been. But you see, Chloe, I can't do any of that if we jump to the last page of the book right now, our first night together in I don't know how long, while Parker's future is still up in the air. So will you please let me just hold you without going any further?"

Chloe's lower lip trembled. She looked at Philip for a long time. "God, you're gorgeous," she said, "and I want you so bad. But… if you think you can control yourself around me tonight… okay, fine, you can hold me. But only if you promise it's not an excuse because you aren't so sure you're into me anymore."

Philip slapped Chloe lightly with his pillow. "How's that for an answer?"

"Not good enough," Chloe said, hitting him back with hers.

"Then," Philip said, hugging Chloe tight against him and rubbing his hand down her back, "how's this?"

"Better," Chloe mumbled, hugging him back.

Jen pulled the door open. "Mom," JJ said as he came inside, knowing he was in big trouble, "I'm sorry I'm late. I - "

Jen hugged him tight. "Thank God you're all right."

JJ hugged her back, surprised. But then out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hope sitting on the couch. He pulled away. "You called Hope cause you were flipping out, weren't you? Mom! Just because I'm half an hour later than you wanted me to be doesn't mean I'm doing drugs. Stop worrying about me, okay?"

"JJ," Hope said, her voice soft but firm, "listen to me, honey. Your mom didn't call me. I came over for another reason."

"What?" JJ crossed his arms. "What reason, Hope? Come on."

"JJ!" Jen said. "That's out of line and you know it."

"It's all right," Hope said. "He didn't expect to see me here, and there's some unfinished business between us, anyway. But for now, sit down, JJ. We need to tell you something."

JJ's eyes widened. "Something happened with Parker, didn't it? Mom, why didn't you call me?"

"No, sweetheart," Jen told him. "Parker's still the same, as far as I know." She put her arm around him. "It's just - "

"Is it Abigail? I mean, she's not here so did something…"

Jen shook her head. She led JJ to the couch. "It's not your sister, and before you keep going down the list, Grandma Jo and Julie and everyone else in our family are just fine."

"Then why are you acting like someone died?"

Jen sighed. She took JJ's hand and said, "I don't know how to tell you this, honey. Maybe Hope should…"

Hope nodded. "We got a call from Eve Donovan earlier tonight."

JJ's eyes snapped. "What the hell did she want?"

"As much as I can't stand Eve," Jennifer said slowly, "right now we're going to have to put all that aside, honey. The reason Eve called the police, sweetheart-" Jen's voice cracked-"is Paige… she…"

"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, JJ," Hope said, her voice unusually gentle, "but Paige has been kidnapped."

"Okay," Nicole said to herself, settling down on Daniel's couch with a homemade martini. She opened her laptop and put her phone down next to it. "A case this big, someone's gotta be eager to talk about it. It's just a matter of finding them."

She opened a web-based chat client, checking her phone for this month's password before logging in. The phone rang while she watched the little hourglass on her screen and waited for her computer to connect. Nicole glanced down at it.

It was Rafe.

Nicole picked up the phone. "Hey," she said. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this late night call?"

"Hold your excitement," Rafe told her. "I just wanted to check in on that thing you told me about."

"What about it?"

Rafe sighed. "We're making progress, but it's gonna be a while before we can tie it to the suspect you had in mind. But don't worry, Nicole, we're gonna keep our eye on JJ, make sure he doesn't get in over his head. He's not with you, is he?"

"I sent him home hours ago."

"Okay, good, cause I got something big for you, if you promise you won't release it til I give you the green light, and I can't have you bring JJ in on it just yet."

"You know I'm good for it. I can't keep it secret from my intern forever, though. Even I'm not that good at deception."

"Nah, wouldn't expect you to. But let him rest easy tonight."

"Deal. What's up?"

"What's up is we're trying to pin something huge on Jeff. I can't give you too many details, but a girl's been kidnapped."

"Does this girl have a name?"

Nicole's eyes widened as Rafe said slowly, "Paige Larson."

"JJ's ex-girlfriend?"

"Yeah. Hope's busy ruling your intern out right now, and once we've got that cleared up… we're going after Jeff. I don't want you contacting JJ about it til after Hope's done with him. And Nicole?"

"Yeah?"

"We're going after Jeff, not you, and it's your responsibility to make sure JJ doesn't go off half-cocked."

"I'll do what I can," Nicole said, wondering if she'd bitten off more than she could chew for a change. She glanced at her chat client while Rafe kept talking, noticing that one of her sources had contacted her about a "red ball" case.

JJ stared at Hope. "You're sure Eve isn't making it up? Cause Hope, she'd do anything to stop Paige from moving into the dorms, even call you just so she could make Paige come back to her."

Hope sighed. "Believe me, JJ, I know all about Eve's manipulations. I've had more than one conversation with her about Paige's plans. But unfortunately, this is real. We've seen the photos the kidnapper sent Eve."

"So she's really… someone really grabbed her?" JJ blinked back tears. Staring at the floor, he said, "Do you know how… or what happened….?"

"We aren't sure yet," Hope said, "but it looks like someone attacked her in the park." She sighed deeply and went on, "I'm sorry, JJ, I know this is a lot to process."

JJ shrugged.

Hope went on, "I know you and I are not on the best terms right now, and I'm sorry about that too. My job sometimes conflicts with me just being your cousin, and I'm afraid it's about to do that again. JJ, I need to ask you some questions about where you were tonight."

JJ's head jerked up. Crossing his arms, he said, "I can't believe you'd think for one second I did this to her! Hope, you've known me since the day I was born. I know I've done a ton of crap, and I don't deserve anyone's trust… not my mom's, and not yours, but even at my worst I never even considered doing something like this, and you know it."

Jen put her hand on JJ's wrist. "Honey, it's just a formality. Nobody thinks you did anything to Paige."

JJ pulled away, angrily. Hope said, firmly, "Listen to me, JJ."

"What?" JJ glared at her.

"I have to question everyone who was close to Paige or who may had a reason to harm her, no matter what I think, no matter how close I am to them. Otherwise, I'm not doing my job, and I can't bring Paige home safely. And quite frankly, if I didn't know you, I'd think the fact that you happened to be out almost 45 minutes-not half an hour like you thought-past your curfew on the night that Paige disappeared was suspicious."

"But I didn't… look, I know it looks bad, but you know I've been out later than this lots of times, and so does my mom. How was I supposed to know Paige was getting herself kidnapped while I was out?"

"I know, honey, but there's only one way I can cross you off my suspect list, and that's if you tell me everything. So since you have nothing to hide-right?-let's just get this over with so I can get on with the investigation, okay?"

JJ glanced at Jen, then back at Hope. "Fine. But does my mom have to be here while you question me?"

"Not if you don't want her to be." Jen's mouth dropped open, but Hope said, "Sorry, cuz, he's over 18. He has a right to privacy and I have to respect that." Jen bit her lip and Hope said, "We're wasting time that we don't have. Every minute Paige is in the company of whoever has her is a minute they could be hurting her. So please, honey, just let JJ have his space so he can tell me anything he knows that might help us find Paige."

"Yes. Of course." Jennifer sounded stunned. "I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me." She walked off.

JJ looked down at the ground, feeling bad about kicking his mom out of the room. He didn't have time to think about it, though, because Hope said, "Okay, JJ, what is it you know that you don't want your mom to overhear?"

"Why don't I pull up a chair, " Elizabeth said to Daniel, "and we'll talk right now."

Daniel glanced at Parker. "You think it's okay to talk in front of him? What if he wakes up?"

"He probably knows more than he's letting on anyway," Elizabeth said. "We could go to my office, but I know you don't want to leave him right now. So come on, Dr. Jonas. We don't have time to waste on this, and anyway, there's really no time like the present. I promise this won't be as bad as you think. Just sit down and let's talk."

Daniel nodded. "All right," he said. "I, uh, I'm not used to having to lean on anyone, so… I might be kinda rusty."

"That's all right." Elizabeth smiled at him. "I know it's hard for you to ask for help; now that you have, I'm not going anywhere for a while."

Daphne's eyes widened after Abe told her what had happened to Paige. "Oh my God," she said flatly. "So that's why she didn't answer my calls. I called her mom asking if she'd heard from her...why didn't she tell me?"

"She probably didn't know yet. Whoever did this decided to contact Paige's mother about an hour ago."

"Oh." Daphne bit her lip. She felt like she should want to cry, but no tears were springing to her eyes. She couldn't quite believe that anyone had hurt Paige. "Why would someone do this?" she asked.

"Well, you're a criminal justice major, so you know there are a lot of reasons why people do things like this," Abe told her. "But we think Paige's kidnapper wants money for her return. If we're lucky, we'll be able to find her before the kidnapper even reaches out again with his demands."

Daphne nodded. "How can I help?"

Down the hall, Marissa jerked awake out of a sound sleep. She sat up in bed, trying to catch her breath. She'd been having a nightmare, but for once she couldn't remember it. She heard voices coming from the other end of the hall; that made her anxiety even worse, and she somehow knew that something very bad had happened. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it to herself.

She heard a deep voice say, "The best thing you can do is answer our questions."

_Oh my God, _Marissa thought. _What wrong tree are the cops barking up now?_

"Okay," Daphne said. "I don't know what I can tell you, but go ahead."

"All right. First of all, Paige had your car?"

Daphne nodded. "I… I lent it to her so she could get some stuff from her mom's. I had offered to go with her, but Paige was upset and she wanted to be alone so I just gave her the key. I knew I should have gone with her. Then maybe this wouldn't have happened."

"Or, maybe the kidnapper would have taken both of you girls," Abe said gently. "Now, what was Paige upset about?"

"It was stupid. This guy was bothering her… well, I thought he was, anyway, but Paige didn't seem to mind."

"What guy?"

"His name is Jeff something. He's a journalism major and I think his dream is to work for some super sleazy news show. He's always looking for a story, and for some reason Paige was interested in him and his stupid questions."

"What was he asking her about?"

"I don't even know. I tune him out. But he told her he was writing something and that she could look at it. Then he finally went away, and who comes along but that jerk JJ she used to date. JJ was all in a panic."

"About what?"

"He saw Jeff, and I guess he was jealous or something. At least that's what Paige thought. He told her that Jeff was bad news, and Paige told him to stop stalking her."

"Really?" Abe leaned back. "So, Daphne, do you think either of these boys had anything to do with Paige's disappearance?"

"Not JJ," Daphne said, shaking her head. "I mean, don't get me wrong, the guy broke Paige's heart so I'm not a fan of him, like, at all. But I think Paige overreacted. He just saw the same thing everyone else sees in Jeff, and I guess he cares enough despite having cheated on Paige that he didn't want to see her get hurt."

"And Jeff?"

"I dunno." Daphne sighed. "I hate to think he would really hurt anyone, but at the same time… something about that guy is way off." Daphne's eyes widened. "Do you think maybe Paige came to her senses and rejected him, so he snapped?"

Marissa reached for her phone as she listened to Daphne and Abe's conversation. She remembered overhearing JJ's argument with Paige, but she couldn't picture the guy who had been talking to Paige before JJ came up; after all, she'd had no reason to pay attention then.

"Could that be the same guy who attacked me?" Marissa asked under her breath. "Okay, Jeff, let's find out who you are…" She got onto her Salem U Social account and typed something into the search engine.

"I don't know enough to say, Daphne, but we definitely will look into that possibility." Abe handed Daphne a card. "This kind of event can be very upsetting not only for the victim, but for all the people who care about him or her. Marlena Evans wanted me to give you her card in case you need someone to talk to."

"I'm fine," Daphne said. "I just wish I could help more."

"There is one more thing," Abe said as he got up. "Your car didn't happen to be equipped with a GPS tracker, did it?"

Daphne shook her head. "It was an old car. My parents didn't think anyone would want to steal it."

"That's understandable. Can you give a description of it so we can report it stolen for you?"

Daphne nodded.

Marissa stared at the photo of Jeff Adkins that she'd found in the student directory. He was smiling, but there was something about his eyes that bothered her. She looked away, then looked back, her hand shaking.

She could feel how "off" he was; it oozed out of the photo. It wasn't anything she could explain, and maybe she was crazy, but she could feel that this guy was bad news. She couldn't be sure, it seemed nuts, but she had a strong feeling she was staring at her attacker.

She heard Daphne's door open, then shut. Closing the phone quickly, she got up and went to the door.

It was cooler in the hall, and Marissa felt almost naked, walking out in her pajamas, but she didn't care. As the cop who had been interviewing Daphne passed by, she called out, "Excuse me?"

The cop turned. "Yes?"

"Um," Marissa said, crossing her arms. She wanted to shout out that Jeff Adkins was guilty of everything, but she didn't think the cops would believe her just based on her reaction to a photo. So instead she said, "Is it true? Someone really kidnapped a girl who lives in this dorm?"

Eric sighed. "Don't you start too, Theresa."

"Dude, whatever." Theresa giggled. "I just think it's funny. Eric the priest without a collar moves on from Nicole and her schemes to my sister, who makes Nicole look like a saint."

"Leave Nicole out of this. It has nothing to do with her. Anyway - "

"Look, I don't care, okay? It's your life, date who you want. But why not just admit it...you like bad girls. I dunno, maybe you think you're still shackled to the church and that it's your duty to save them or whatever, but here's the thing about girls like Eve: they don't want to be saved."

"That's enough!" Eric crossed his arms. "I'm sure Eve has done things in the past that she's terribly ashamed of. She's said as much to me. But whatever she's done or not done, the fact is that she is suffering because of her daughter's disappearance. Now I know that you will do anything to get out of showing it, but I also know you care. So instead of sitting here insulting Eve or Nicole or anyone else, how about you put your guard down just enough to be there for her?"

Theresa wriggled uncomfortably. "Fine. I'll go suffer through an evening with my sister. But only because you asked me to."

"Thank you."

Theresa got up. "If you like Eve, it's really no big deal. I mean, no matter what our stupid family think, you're one of the only people who I want to see smile. So if she does that for you, more power to you." She took off before Eric could say another word, leaving him to shake his head.

After Eric left, Eve sat on the couch, allowing herself to cry as she flipped through pictures on her phone. She was exhausted, but she didn't have it in her to get up and go to bed. _I told you not to move, baby girl, _she thought. _Why couldn't you just have listened?_

The door to Paige's old room creaked and Jill came out into the living room. Crossing her arms, she said, "So are the cops gone?"

"Yes," Eve said flatly, "they're gone."

"I guess you didn't tell them about me, since they didn't bang down my door. Good decision, though talking my way out of handcuffs might have been fun." Jill giggled. "What happened to the hot ex-priest? You weren't good enough, or did the cops scare him off too?"

"God, Jill, don't you ever shut up?"

"Excuse me for trying to make conversation. I thought since we're roommates now, we might as well try to be friends." Jill came over to the couch. "So if the cops weren't here cause of me, what did they want?"

"You mean you didn't overhear the whole thing?"

"I don't eavesdrop. I'm not you. So what is it? Your precious little Paige hooked up with a worse loser than JJ and you wanted to do an intervention?"

"Not exactly."

"Then - "

"Paige's gone, okay? Someone ripped her away from me, and from school, and from everything that was important to her and is doing God knows what to her. So stop joking around, Jill, and listen, cause the cops want to talk to you about whether you've seen her and whether you know anything."

"Well, that'll be a short conversation," Jill said, climbing over the couch. "Um, how do you know anyone's got her? Maybe she just ran away."

Eve shook her head. "Does this look like running away?" she demanded, showing Jill the photos she'd received.

"Did JJ look like he'd been drugged in the photos I sent her from his phone?"

Eve sighed. "That was different, Jill. Paige couldn't fake this, not by herself anyway, and she wouldn't do something like that no matter how mad she was at me. Anyway, listen, you gotta have your story straight before the cops talk to you. Now you saw Paige earlier today, and they're going to need to know that so that they can piece together exactly when she was taken. But you'd better not tell them anything that isn't relevant, do you understand?"

Jill's eyes narrowed. "So you're saying you've changed your mind about me leaving tomorrow?"

"Don't be stupid," Eve said. "You can't tell on me without telling on yourself, and you can't tell Paige, unless you're the one who's got her, so - "

"I can do okay in jail," Jill said calmly. "I've been there before, and even though it's not great, at least I get three meals a day and a place to stay. So if it's a choice between that and the park, guess which one I'd prefer?"

"You don't want your baby to be born in jail, now do you, Jill? They'll take your child away from you and by the time you get out, that innocent little baby won't have a single memory of you."

Fear shot through Jill's eyes, telling Eve that she had finally hit on her weakness. But all Jill said was, "Speaking of which, tomorrow after I talk to the cops, we need to go baby shopping. The little one could come any day now, so we need a crib and diapers and stuff."

Eve shook her head. "You haven't got the first clue about what it takes to take care of a baby, do you?"

"I wasn't planning on having a baby!" Jill snapped. Then she added, more softly, "But since I'm having one, it's a good thing I have you to help me."

Eve crossed her arms. "Do you not get that the night my daughter disappears isn't a good time for this conversation?"

"It's settled, then," Jill said. "Tomorrow I'll let the cops know that I don't know anything, then we'll take your mind off Paige by doing some shopping." She got up and headed back towards Paige's bedroom. "I really am sorry, you know," she said. "Paige is a nice girl, even if she is a little naive. You probably wonder how you ended up with a daughter like her instead of one like me in the first place." Eve shrugged and Jill went on, "Paige might be uptight or whatever, but one good thing about having a girl like her… they'll do everything they can to get her home safely. Me, I've been on the streets pretty much for two years, and if my parents even noticed yet, they sure aren't doing anything about it. Anyway, good night." She disappeared into her room, leaving Eve to stare at a picture of Paige on her phone.

"Nothing, I swear," JJ said. He looked down, then back up at Hope, "It's just… um… I was wondering, does Marissa know about Paige?"

"Marissa?" Hope was surprised. "I don't think so. Why?"

"No reason." JJ sighed. "It's just, Hope, Marissa's still freaked out about her attack, and if she finds out from the wrong person that someone grabbed Paige, it could make her worse."

Hope nodded. "You're right. I know she hasn't been doing so well. She's supposed to come in tomorrow to do something related to her case. I'll tell her then."

"Can't you get ahold of her tonight, before she hears some rumor that messes her up altogether?"

"I'll tell Abe; he's at the school now. But JJ, right now we need to talk about you." Hope turned on her tape recorder. "When was the last time you saw Paige?"

JJ bit his lip, thinking about the fight he had with Paige.

"JJ?"

"Um, okay," JJ said. "Daphne's probably gonna tell you guys anyway, cause she was with Paige when it happened. Um, this morning I saw Jeff Adkins at the bail hearing and I thought it was kinda weird he was there, so, uh, afterwards, I followed him. And I… I saw him talking to Paige. So, um, even though Paige and I kinda… well we've tried to stay out of each other's way since we broke up… I had to warn her, Hope."

"Warn her?"

"About Jeff. Something's off about that guy, Hope. I'm in like, three classes with him, okay, and I try to avoid the guy."

"Why?"

"For months, all he's talked about is how he's gonna impress Nicole so that she'll hire him, and then when the robberies started, he was… he was happy about it. He told me about it the day Marissa was attacked, okay, and I thought then something was weird. And then at the hearing he was trying to convince me Rory attacked him, and I thought, chances are he's the guy who attacked Rory, and Marissa and all those other people at the school."

"So when you saw he was with Paige," Hope said, "you wanted to let her know your suspicions. What happened?"

"Paige, she wouldn't listen. She got mad at me and we started to get into it, but then Marissa called me over and uh, that's the last I saw of Paige." JJ sighed. "That guy went and did something to her, didn't he?"

"Maybe. We'll look into it. But JJ, we're not done here. I'm sorry, but I have to ask you where you were tonight."

JJ sighed. "You're not gonna like this, but, uh, I was with Rory." He crossed his arms. "But if you ask him, don't be surprised if he doesn't back me up."

"Why? What happened?"

JJ shook his head. "You were right about him, Hope. He just spent a night in jail over weed, and when he got out, he, uh… well, he went right back to doing things he shouldn't be doing." JJ blinked hard. "We were hanging at his brother's and Kurt, he had some brandy. I… I was like, dude, what are you doing? but Rory and Kurt, they wanted to celebrate that Rory's not in jail. So we had some words over it and uh, I told him I was done, and I came home."

Hope turned off her tape recorder. "I'm sorry."

"Are you? I figured you'd be glad to know you were right."

"There are times I wish with my whole heart that I was wrong, honey, and this is one of them."

JJ shook his head. "I just don't get it. I mean, I spent a night in jail and I never wanted to go back there again. Why can't Rory just stop?"

"I tried to tell you, JJ, that's not how it works. Even for you. It wasn't just a night in jail, honey. You decided to swear off drugs when Theresa Donovan almost died in front of you." Hope patted his shoulder. "Rory might find his own way and he might not, but I'm glad you see now that you can't save him."

JJ sighed. "Are you gonna jam him up over what I told you?"

"No. I wasn't there and anyway, he was in a private house with someone over the age of 21."

"But you're gonna tell my mom, aren't you?"

"We need to get back to the investigation," Hope told him. She turned her tape recorder back on. "Was anyone else there besides Rory and Kurt?"

JJ shook his head.

"I need a verbal answer," Hope told him.

"No, no one else was there." JJ's voice was flat.

"Bev Walters wasn't there?"

JJ shook his head. "Nope. And I was glad, too," he said. "I'm not friends with her anymore cause of the way she and Cole treated Paige when we were together. They were playing all sorts of pranks, trying to make Paige uncomfortable, so I decided I was out."

"What kinds of pranks?"

"Nothing like what happened to Paige now. Just stupid stuff. Bev left an STD test lying around that she got after being with Cole and tried to make her think she got it cause of me, and Cole, he tried to steal Paige's purse one time. So like I said, I decided I was done."

"I see. So you don't have any idea what Bev's been up to recently?"

"All I know is, she's back with that loser Cole again, and whenever he's in her life, nobody else is. Not Rory, and definitely not me." He turned towards Hope. "You think Bev and Cole set Paige up so Jeff could get her, don't you?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Cole set up Rory. I'm sure of it." JJ bit his lip. "I did see Bev a couple days ago, Hope. It was only for a second, okay, and only cause when Rory was in jail he asked me to meet up with her to let her know. Only, she knew already. She said she heard something in the woods, but Hope, when I asked her if Cole had anything to do with it, she shut down."

Hope gave JJ a look. "I'm going to tell you again what I told you the other day. You get information related to these robberies, you tell me."

"I didn't really know anything," JJ protested.

"It was enough of a lead to investigate. From now on, anything you think could help us crack this case, you come to me first. I know you're working for Nicole, but telling me takes priority, is that clear?"

"Whatever."

"Look, JJ, I don't want to have to arrest you for interfering with this investigation, but if that's what it takes to keep you safe and stop you and Nicole from trying to do my job for me, that's what I'll do. Now do you have anything else related to this case you haven't told me?"

"I'm sorry," Abe said, "who are you?"

Marissa crossed her arms. "I guess cops really don't talk to each other, do they? Detective Brady is constantly checking up on me because I was the first student this year to be robbed at knifepoint, but you don't even know what I look like."

"Sorry," Abe said. "I haven't had a chance to look through every file, especially with this kidnapping tonight. But if you drop the hostility, maybe I can answer your question for you."

"Fine. I'm Marissa Hunter."

"Detective Abe Carver." Abe smiled slightly, then got serious again. "Unfortunately, one of the girls in your hall has been kidnapped, though probably not from here. Do you know her? Her name is Paige Larson."

Marissa's eyes widened. "Oh my God," she said softly.

"So you do know her?"

"Very, very slightly. I mean, I just met her today. I was in the pharmacy getting a prescription filled and she was getting some Excederin or something. I wasn't very nice to her, but then again I didn't know she was going to end up disappearing, plus she started it."

"What happened?" Abe asked.

Marissa sighed. "She seemed, like, jealous of me or something. See, her ex-boyfriend JJ… he's kind of a good friend of mine, and she didn't like that idea very much. So she took some shots at me, and me, I give as good as I get. I wish I could take back what I said now."

"Why? What did you say?"

"I told her I didn't think she could handle being held at knifepoint like I was, and that she should be careful because the guy who attacked me was still out there. And before you ask, no I didn't say that because I was planning on teaching her a lesson. I just could see she was totally Jeff's type, and I wanted her to be careful."

"Jeff? Who's Jeff?"

"Jeff Adkins. I didn't know his name until tonight, but after seeing his photo, I'm almost positive that's the guy who attacked me."

"How can you be so sure?" Abe asked. "I thought you were grabbed from behind."

"I was, but I always knew if I ran into him, I'd know right away. And I do."

"And you think he kidnapped Paige. Why?"

Marissa shrugged. "I guess you're not impressed by gut instinct. But besides that, think about it. The guy held me at knifepoint. He tied me up. He gagged me. I don't know what happened to Paige, but if I had to guess, he did the exact same thing to her that he did to me… except he didn't leave her behind when he was done." Marissa shuddered. "Even talking about this gives me the creeps."

"I understand. Let me ask you one question, Marissa. What time did you see Paige at the pharmacy?"

"I dunno. Maybe 2:30. Hold on, I have a receipt for my crazy pills somewhere." She disappeared into her room, then came back. "I got my drugs at 2:33 pm, so yeah, I saw her a little before that."

"Did she say where she was going?"

"Just that her mom would be upset if she didn't hurry back with her medicine." Marissa crossed her arms. "Do you have any more questions for me?"

"Not right now. If we need anything, we'll be in touch."

"Good. Because I have a question for you, Detective Carver."

"Of course."

"Are you going to get Jeff Adkins?"

"I can't discuss that with you. I can only tell you that we will look into his viability as a suspect, and if we do end up arresting him, of course you'll be contacted since you may be one of his victims." Abe excused himself and walked off.

"You'd better hurry up and get him, Detective Carver," Marissa muttered under her breath, "or I'll do it myself."

JJ's heart pounded in his chest. He bit his lip and said to Hope, "Yeah, I do have something else to say." He stood up. "You're getting on my ass about sitting on information, but you're not doing anything to stop the guy that's got Paige. Instead you're messing with me when all I did was try to find out what's really going on. You gotta stop Jeff Adkins, Hope, and you have to do it fast, before he hurts Paige."

"It's not just up to me, JJ," Hope told him, "but believe me, everyone who's working on this case wants to get to Paige as quickly as possible."

"You'd better," JJ said. "Because Hope, if you drag your feet instead of going after him, Paige is gonna pay the price."

"Relax, JJ. Listen to me."

"No, Hope," JJ said, glaring at her. "You listen to me. That nut case's got Paige, you understand, and he and Cole, they already tried to set Rory up. Not to mention, he messed Marissa all up before I even met her. I know you think I'm just a kid and I don't know what I'm doing, but someone's gotta stop him, and I don't care if I go to jail for it… if it's not you, it's gonna have to be me." He crossed his arms and glared at her.


	12. Chapter 12

Daphne's room to tell her she was sorry about Paige. Was that what people did, she wondered, or would it just be weird? It didn't matter; she heard Daphne's door close and didn't have the courage to go knock on it.

Instead, she turned towards her own room. Her hands shook as she started to open her door and she dropped her keys.

She could feel Jeff behind her, watching her, waiting for her to open her door. She heard footsteps; her whole body tensed up and she tried to scream but she couldn't because there was a hand clamped over her mouth.

She looked behind her, then back at the door, realizing that nobody was here, nobody had grabbed her, nobody's hand was covering her mouth. She played with her keys while she tried to catch her breath. The idea of going into her room made her stomach tighten with dread. He was in there, waiting for her. She was sure of it.

_I thought that little pill was supposed to take care of these memories so I can sleep, _Marissa thought, opening the door quickly so she wouldn't have time to worry about who might be hiding inside. She slammed it closed, locked it and went over to her bed, plugging in her phone and pulling her covers back like she did every night, but she didn't get in bed. She knew if she did, she'd see Jeff as soon as she closed her eyes, and she didn't want to.

Checking the time on her phone, she threw her bathrobe on and stuffed the phone into the pocket. She had to get out of here for a while. Maybe all she needed was a midnight snack to calm her nerves; there was a 24-hour cafeteria across the street from the dorm. She threw her ID card and a few dollars into her bathrobe pocket and hurried out, making sure to lock the door behind her.

Hope locked eyes with JJ. She said, "I'm going to excuse that statement because I know you're still in shock. But I need you to leave the police work to us, honey. We'll give you and Nicole the story when the time comes, but until then - "

"Do you think I care about the story?" JJ shouted. "You don't get it, Hope. He's messing with everyone I care about! Rory, Paige… even Marissa's messed up cause of him. He could be going after Abs or Mom next, and I'm not gonna just sit here and let him do it."

"Relax, JJ. He's not going after anyone else. We won't let him."

JJ's eyes flashed. "You mean the way you didn't let him hurt Paige?" He turned his back to Hope, staring out the front window. "I hate the idea of Eve Donovan being right about anything, okay, but you said she kept telling you to watch out for Paige and you didn't. If he hurts anyone else, it's on you!"

"JJ, stop. You're overreacting. We will get Jeff before anything else happens. I promise."

"How do you know, Hope?" JJ spun around, his eyes blazing. "Answer me!"

"No, JJ. Not if you talk to me that way." Hope glanced at the steps. "You need to get it together," she told him. "You're being belligerent, and it's not appropriate. Not to mention that your cousin is sleeping, and I want to keep it that way."

"Too late," Ciara said from the top of the steps. She smirked as she came downstairs. "Mommy, why are we in Jennifer's house in the middle of the night?"

"I just want to be clear," Daniel said. "I just want to talk to you about this decision. Nothing else."

"Of course." Elizabeth's eyes were wide, and Daniel wasn't sure he believed her. But then again, he'd had a lot of liars in his life recently. "You said you weren't sure whether Parker needed surgery or not. What can I do to help you?"

"I just want to know if I'm doing the right thing for my son." Daniel sighed. "I've counseled hundreds of patients, and I've never once doubted that I was offering them the best course of treatment available to them. But when it comes to my son? I just don't know for sure." He glanced over at Parker's bed. "Look at him," he said. "He never looked so small as he does right now. His… his future… his _life_… it's all in my hands and if I choose wrong… if I choose wrong it's all over."

"Scary, isn't it?" Elizabeth said. "But Dr. Jonas, let me ask you… why do you think it's all up to you? Doesn't Parker have a mother, too, who has just as much stake in this decision as you do? And don't you have one of the world's best heart doctors coming tomorrow to take a look at him?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Elizabeth said slowly, propping her elbows on her knees and leaning forward, "that I think you take too much responsibility on your shoulders, Daniel Jonas. I think that somewhere in the back of your mind, you have this idea that you have to be the hero, and if you fail, the world will come crashing down, not just for your son, but for anyone you care about."

Daniel crossed his arms. "I thought I made it very clear that we were only talking about Parker's treatment."

"Oh, but we are, Dr. Jonas. We are. You can't make this decision because you're blowing it up to be even bigger than it is, and the sooner you see that it's okay for it to not all rest with you, the clearer things will become." Daniel gave her a skeptical look and she said, gently, "You're not buying it. Okay. Let me ask you something else, then."

"What?"

"Tell me, what do you think is the most difficult thing about this decision?"

Bev waited a while, but she didn't hear footsteps. Hopefully that meant their captors would leave them alone for the night. She opened her eyes slowly, trying not to think about how shocked she was that Cole had gone this far.

"Wanna try again?" Paige asked, her voice still too loud. "1...2...3…"

"No, Paige, not tonight," Bev said, deliberately keeping her voice low.

"But you said you'd get us out of here. You weren't lying again, were you Bev?"

"I know I did," Bev whispered. "I have another plan, okay? You just sit tight for a little while, then I'll come get you." She experimented with sliding her hands up the post to see how much play she had. Maybe she could catch the rope onto the bottom of the bed frame and use it to cut through her bonds.

Nothing. She gave up trying for now and leaned back, sighing. "I'm really sorry, Paige," she said, whispering. "I swear if I'd thought Cole would ever do something like this to me…"

"To us, you mean. Don't forget me."

Bev tried again to catch the rope on the bottom of the bed as she said, "Believe me, I won't. Paige, look, we're probably never going to be each other's favorite person. I mean, I wasn't exactly nice when you were with JJ, and I'm sure you wish you were stuck here with him instead of me."

"No, I don't, Bev, I swear." Paige sighed. "I wish I wasn't stuck here at all."

"Funny. You know, maybe you should drink more often. When you stop worrying so much about saying the wrong thing, you're a lot more interesting." Bev tried in vain to reach the rope with her fingers. If only she could stretch it a little, she'd be able to get it where she needed it. "Anyway, Paige, my point is, even though we're never going to be friends or anything, I didn't mean for anything really bad to happen to you."

"Then why did you let it?"

Bev sighed. "I guess I got in over my head, you know? At first, Cole was fun and exciting. I never knew what he'd be like, and I loved his unpredictability. And even when he got to be too much for me, he was… he was comfortable." She leaned back, still trying to catch the rope on the bedframe. "A couple weeks ago, he did something pretty bad to me and I thought I was finished. But then the next day, he was so sweet, and I was high when he came up to me, and I guess he made sense again." Bev blinked back tears. "He trapped me, Paige, he always trapped me with that mischievous smile and that devil-may-care manner. And Jeff came over and Paige, if I didn't go along with what they wanted, I don't know what they would have done to me."

"So you...you figured better me than you?" Paige sounded like she was starting to sober up.

"Look, I tried to warn you, didn't I? And I swear Paige, until the second Cole pulled a gun on me I didn't think he was even capable of what they were planning." Bev blinked back tears. "When we get out of here, you'll probably never talk to me again, but I hope you'll at least know that even though I've caused you nothing but trouble, I'm not a horrible person, and I never, ever wanted this to happen to you."

Hope turned towards Ciara and tried to smile. "I'll explain in the morning. Go back to bed."

"I don't think so."

JJ, who was standing with his arms crossed, said, "You wanna know the truth, Ciara?"

"Yes, especially if you're in trouble." Ciara plopped into an easy chair.

"Not this time." JJ shook his head. "Mmm mmm."

"So spill it," Ciara said. "Why are we here?"

JJ sighed. "There's a bad guy who's hurt a lot of people I care about. And your mom, she wanted to stop me from doing anything stupid about it."

Ciara looked doubtful. Hope chimed in, "It's true. I needed to talk to JJ right away, but I didn't want to have to spend another night away from you, so I took you with me."

Ciara bit her lip. JJ said, "I'm sorry we woke you up. We got kinda loud."

"It's okay. It was probably my mom's fault anyway. It usually is."

Hope started to say Ciara's name but JJ jumped in before she could, saying, "No, this was on me. I didn't want to listen to what she had to say." He glanced towards the kitchen, then said, "Anyway, Ciara, uh… no matter how much you think your mom's a pain in the butt - "

"I know, I know, I'm supposed to listen cause she's my mom."

"I guess. JJ sighed. "Sometimes I still don't listen to mine when she gets on my nerves."

"WHy does she get on your nerves?"

"It's not important." JJ sighed. "The thing is, Ciara, when I was doing stuff I shouldn't have, I said and did things to her that I can never, ever take back, and now I'm gonna be sorry for the whole rest of my life."

"Why?"

"I was so mad, I guess I forgot I loved her, and I did things that hurt her so bad that things can never really be the same again." JJ was staring at the kitchen, thinking about how worried Jen had been when he didn't show up on time. "Be right back."

"Mommy?" Ciara said. "What did the bad guy do to JJ's friend?"

Hope sighed. "Go to bed, Ciara Alice," she said. "We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Eve had put on some opera music and was remembering how Paige had loved this music. When she was a little girl, they sang together, and whenever Eve put her to bed, she'd beg her, "Sing me one more, Mama!" She picked up a picture of Paige now and said to it, "Don't you worry, baby. You're coming home if it's the last thing I ever do."

There was a knock on the door. Eve sighed. "Who's there?" she asked wearily.

"Come on, Eve, it's cold in this hall," her sister said. "Open the door, will you?"

Eve got up, still holding Paige's photo, and pulled open the door. "What do you want?"

"Hey, is that any way to treat your only sister?" Theresa pushed her way in without being asked.

Eve leaned against the door as she closed it. "This is not a good time, Theresa, okay? Something happened to Paige, so whatever hurt feelings over your latest drug-addled decision you have are just going to have to wait."

Theresa's eyes flashed and she said, "For your information, I haven't touched cocaine since the day Brady and I broke up. I was only doing it because of him, you know."

"Are you not listening, little sister? I don't have time for your drama."

"Because someone took Paige." Eve's eyes widened and Theresa said, "Eric told me. I came over to support you and show I'm not totally worthless as a sister, but you know what, forget it! I could be out with any one of like, 100 guys right now, living it up… why should I waste any more of my time being judged by you, of all people?" Theresa turned to leave, then turned back around. "Oh, one more thing. The only difference between you and me is that you scare every guy away after the first night, while I know how to hang on to one for a while. I don't care how many men you sleep with. I'm not a hypocrite like most of our so-called family. But Eric's one of the only people I'm related to who actually gives me any reason to care about him. So if you're going to draw him into your web of nightmares, you'd better make sure you know exactly what you're doing."

"Get out of here," Eve said, but her voice wavered slightly. "You think you can come here during my lowest point and start throwing your weight around? I have news for you , little sister. I don't have to break guys in order to get them to be with me. I can get any man, any time, any place, but unlike you, I have some standards. Now Eric might have thought at one point that he was too good for me, but he's coming around now, and he's everything I've ever wanted in a man."

Theresa laughed bitterly. "And you're nothing that he wants in a woman. Can't say I blame you, though. If he wasn't my cousin, I might go for him too."

"Are you finished? Because if this is your idea of support, _Jeannie_, I'd rather be alone."

Theresa sighed. "I really am sorry about Paige. I don't suppose our illustrious police department has any idea what happened to her."

"They might, if Kim's brother was as interested in what happened to my daughter as he was in the fact that Eric was kind enough to stay with me during his investigation."

"Uncle Roman sanctimonious and self-righteous at a crime scene? I'm shocked."

"That detective he had with him wasn't bad in the brains department...or in looks, either, not that I really noticed." Theresa rolled her eyes and Eve said, "I had other things on my mind."

"That's a first."

Ee crossed her arms. "Theresa?"

"Yeah?" Theresa leaned against the door.

"They are going to find my Paige whole and healthy, aren't they? I mean, even the Salem PD can find one missing girl, can't they?"

"They'll find her," Theresa said uncertainly. "Who knows, maybe this'll turn out to be good for her. Better for her to know the world isn't all rainbows and unicorns early, right? She probably trusted some horrible guy who made her promises he never planned to keep, just to get her to go with him. After this, she'll think twice before trusting any man again." Eve sighed. Theresa asked, "Does our dad know?"

"Daddy? No… I didn't want to worry him, get Kim fawning all over him, you know… it's not like he sees Paige more than once a year anyway, so what difference does it make if he doesn't find out until it's all said and done?"

Theresa shrugged. "He's supposed to be some big hero spy or something. Maybe he knows something about finding lost kids the cops here don't." She sighed. "Anyway, the night's young and I'm getting old just being in your company."

"Don't go just yet," Eve said.

Theresa sighed. "I told you, I have other things to do."

"I'm sure you want a nightcap." Eve went over to the kitchen and poured herself another glass of wine. "Just one glass, Theresa… what do you say?"

"Fine," Theresa said, plopping heavily onto the couch. "But then I'm out of here."

"Whatever you say, little sister." Eve glanced at Jill's closed door, hoping that Jill stayed put for the night, as she handed Theresa a glass of wine.

Jennifer was on the phone when JJ walked into the kitchen. "No, tomorrow morning is perfect for me. Thank you for fitting me in; I know you have a full calendar." She hung up and turned towards her son, smiling way too widely. "Hi, honey. Are you and Hope finished with your talk?"

"I guess. Ciara woke up and needed Hope's attention." JJ rummaged through the cookie jar on the counter. "Who were you talking to?"

"Just a friend, that's all. Not Daniel," she added quickly, even though JJ hadn't asked.

JJ bit his cookie. "Um, Mom, listen…"

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I guess you were pretty worried about me cause of, yunno, Paige and everything. I hate that I did that to you."

"It's okay, baby." Jen's tone was too light. "You know me, I'm always worrying."

"Yeah." JJ finished the cookie, trying to think of how to put his words together so he wouldn't upset his mom too much. "The thing is, Mom, it's different now than when I was in high school. I'm caught up in a lot of stuff - " Jen's head jerked up and JJ said quickly, "Nothing bad, I swear. All I'm trying to say is, remember how you told me college was gonna be different? You were right...it is… and part of that is I can't just be home on your schedule. You've gotta let me come and go."

Jen turned her back to JJ so he wouldn't see her lip quiver. "Are you saying you want to move into a dorm like Paige did?"

"Uh uh. Mom, part of the reason I decided on Salem U is I didn't wanna lose any more time with you."

"Really? Because you're never here, JJ, and when you are, we just don't talk, honey. I know you're not a little boy anymore, and I'm sorry that every time I open my mouth you hear me treating you like you're seven years old. I don't mean to, sweetheart. I just miss the way we were then."

JJ looked down at the tiles on the kitchen floor. "You mean the way we were when Dad was alive."

Jen turned towards him. Her eyes were wide and wet as she nodded. "There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about your father and miss him terribly. I… I don't talk about him because I know that him being gone has hurt you so much, and I don't want to add to your pain. But when he died he left a huge hole in my life too, JJ. I know I drive you crazy, but honey, if I were to lose you on top of losing him…" She shook her head. "I've never ever felt sorry for Eve Donovan, but I wish she was the kind of person who could put a grudge aside because right now I can't imagine how she's coping."

"Yeah," JJ said heavily. "Me too." He played with his phone. "I might have to go out again tonight, Mom."

"Why?" Jen's eyes narrowed. "JJ, what's going on?"

JJ shook his head. "I can't just sit here doing nothing, knowing Paige is out there somewhere. I gotta…"

"JJ, listen to me." Jen put her hands on JJ's shoulders. "I feel bad about Paige too. But sweetheart, there's nothing you can do to help her."

JJ shook his head. "What do you think Dad would have done? I don't remember him ever accepting that there was nothing to do, not once. Even if it meant diving into the center of some big, risky thing, he did it. That's why he died, Mom. Anyone else would have let Abigail crash and burn… but Dad, til the last second he was doing what he could to help her."

"I loved your father with all my heart," Jen said, "and I will forever be grateful that the last thing he did was bring your sister to safety, but JJ, he was way too reckless. He took too many chances and his luck ran out. I couldn't say anything to him, honey, but I am saying it to you." Her voice dropped to a near whisper. "Stay here, JJ. Don't take any stupid risks. Just stay safe and let the police do what they need to do."

"It might be too late if I do that!" JJ didn't want to disturb Ciara again, but there was no other way to get through to his mom. "Don't you get that?"

"I get that you think you know better than Hope how to catch the person who did this to Paige." Jen's eyes were wide and full of fear. "What I don't get, JJ, is what you think you're going to do."

"Nothing you gotta worry about, I promise." JJ turned. "I'll be back soon. I just want to check in with somebody, see if they can help."

"Who?"

JJ shook his head. "I'll tell you about it after." He hugged his mother, awkwardly. "You don't have to wait up for me. I'll be fine."

"Yes, I do," Jen said.

JJ shrugged. "Do what you have to do, Mom," he said softly, "but I'm gonna do what I have to." He walked off, quickly, before he could change his mind.

"JJ!" Jen called after him, but he was gone. Her eyes filled with tears. She turned, busying herself with something in the refrigerator.

"You really have to ask?" Daniel asked Elizabeth, crossing his arms. "My God, Dr. Harper… isn't it obvious?" He got up and turned towards the window. "Parker, he's my son… and for the first couple years of his life, I didn't even know it. And now... now if Chloe and I make the wrong decision, it will change his life forever. It could even…" Daniel glanced at Parker, sleeping peacefully on the other side of the room. "I don't operate from fear. It's not even in my vocabulary. As a surfer, the waves everyone says are too rough and too dangerous, I seek them out. As a doctor, I take on the hardest cases, the ones everyone says are impossible. I've stared down evil, I've said no to people like Stefano Dimera, I've looked down the barrel of a gun and not blinked. But this… this disease… it's kicking my ass, and for the first time in a long, long time, I am paralyzed by fear."

"Of course you are," Elizabeth told him. "How could you not be, when so much hangs in the balance? But let me ask you this. If this was a patient instead of your child, what would you recommend to the parents?"

Daniel was quiet for a little bit. He sighed and slowly shook his head. "That's it… I just can't think. If he was just a patient, I'd consult with the specialist and make the decision based on the best available knowledge. But since he's not, since he's my son… I'm frozen."

"Exactly." Elizabeth's voice was soft. "Dr. Jonas, you can't be both father and doctor to your son. I'm sure everyone's been telling you that, but it happens to be true. See, you know what you need to do. You just said it. Consult with the specialist, and then you and Parker's mother make the decision. The reason you're stuck is because of your fears, which is oh so normal for the father of a little boy with a serious illness."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying… stop. Stop trying to force this decision tonight. Stop, if you can, looking at your son as if this is the last night he'll ever spend on earth. And most of all, Daniel," Elizabeth said, deliberately using Daniel's first name to underscore her point, "stop beating yourself up because you can't be the brilliant, fearless doctor right now that you think you have to be in order to have any worth. You're a good father. You love your son. Let that be enough."

As soon as she got off the phone with Rafe, Nicole responded to her source's chat, asking, "What exactly is a red ball?" The source gave her a link. She ran a quick virus scan, then clicked it, reading aloud to herself, "Red ball - a high profile case, often one that the police are working on around the clock and to the exclusion…" She got bored with the description.

"Okay," she typed. "Got the picture. So what exactly does that mean?"

There was a knock on the door. Nicole dimmed her screen and turned it so nobody could see it from the hallway. Whoever it was knocked again. "Hold your horses," she said. "I'm coming!"

Nicole threw open the door. JJ was on the other side. "Daniel's not here, JJ," she said. "He's at the hospital with Parker." She started to close the door.

"I figured," JJ said, pushing the door back open. "Actually, Nicole, I came to talk to you."

"That's unusual," Nicole said. "Most people aren't too happy to see me on the other side of the door when they show up anywhere." JJ started to come in and she asked, "How'd you know I was here, anyway?"

"Just a lucky guess. The other day you offered to put him on the phone so I thought maybe you were spending time with him over here. I didn't want to bother him, so I decided to try here before heading over to the hospital."

"Smart." Nicole closed the door. "So, what's up?"

"Don't do that," JJ said, crossing his arms.

"Do what?"

"Act like we're not working together. Come on, Nicole, if I know about Paige, so do you." He glanced at her computer sitting on Daniel's coffee table. "You're working the story already, aren't you?"

Nicole nodded. "I know what you're going to say," she said. "You don't like that I left you out of it. But believe me, JJ - "

"I don't care about that. I mean, I do, but right now I'm not about the story. I'm about saving my gir - saving Paige. Nicole, Hope questioned me tonight, and I pushed back. The cops, they're not gonna do anything, not really. They know it's Jeff, but they're hanging back, taking their time while he's got Paige and who knows what he's gonna do to her."

"Wait. Back up a second. Hope told you they know who kidnapped your ex?"

"Not exactly, but she kinda did, yeah." JJ glared at Nicole. "We don't have time for this. We've got to do something!"

Nicole was silent, watching JJ pace. She had to get back to her source before too much longer, but she also had to make sure her intern wasn't going to do anything too crazy. "Get ahold of yourself!" she snapped. "JJ, we're reporters. We're not - "

"Oh come on, Nicole," JJ said, still pacing. "You didn't think twice before you and Daniel went off in search of that crazy doctor that drugged Eric Brady."

Nicole sighed. "Maybe we should have! I mean, Daniel having to leave me alone with Dr. LooneyTunes wasn't part of the plan, but he should have been able to trust me, and look what I did." JJ started to say something, but Nicole said, "But you're right, we don't have time. Let me show you what I was doing, and then maybe I can, I dunno, give you a chance to prove you're stronger than I was." She sat down at the computer and typed something quickly. "This is a secure chat," she explained. "I use it to get in touch with sources who would rather not get caught giving reporters information."

"Are they gonna lead us to Jeff?"

"I don't know. Maybe." Nicole read something quickly. "I have to sneak out to meet this source. I'd take you with me, but I practically had to sell whatever pieces of my soul are still left just to get them to come out at all. If they saw two of us, they might smell a setup that doesn't really exist and run away screaming."

"Gotcha." JJ sat down at the computer. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Monitor these chat rooms. Don't say anything… just read what's going on. People who know more than we do might be stupid enough to think the Internet is private. So you're going to engage in Salem's favorite pasttime and do some eavesdropping." She pulled her purse on and started towards the door, then turned around. "Oh, and JJ?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't forget to breathe, okay? You came to the right person. After all, the only way to fight crazy is with crazy." JJ gave her a puzzled look and she said, "I'm trying to say, I won't stop until Paige is back in one piece, no matter what I have to do, and I know you won't either, so try not to have a panic attack while I'm gone." She left, closing the door softly behind her.

There was almost nobody in the 24 hour cafeteria when Marissa got there, which was weird. She guessed maybe everyone had heard about Paige and was staying in their dorms just in case. She took a tray and wandered around the buffet tables, looking. At this hour, all they had were desserts. One table held fruit, while three others held various types of cakes and cookies.

Marissa picked up a banana, then put it back and headed for the cupcake table. She didn't generally like junk food, but tonight a large cupcake with vanilla frosting was calling her name.

She picked it up and headed for the checkout line. As she handed over her student ID for the cafeteria worker to swipe, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. The worker handed her back the card. She took the cupcake and walked slowly towards the cups of silverware. They were mainly empty except for a few forks, but for some reason someone had left a steak knife behind in the knife section, where usually they only had butter knives.

Marissa glanced over her shoulder. The cafeteria was virtually empty, and the worker behind the register wasn't looking her way. She picked up the knife so that she could return it…

...and instead slipped it into her bathrobe pocket.

After putting Ciara back to bed, Hope came into the living room to try to comfort Jennifer. "I'm sure JJ will be okay. Maybe he went to the hospital to talk to Daniel."

"No, he knows not to bother Daniel right now." Jen glanced at Hope. "I guess you don't know, but Parker's in the ICU."

"Oh my gosh, no I didn't know. I'll have to call Daniel tomorrow. But you're sure JJ wouldn't go to him anyway at a time like this?"

Jen sighed. "I don't know anything, Hope. Not when it comes to my son. He's so distant. He…" she blinked back tears. "This is terrible to say under the circumstances, but the other day he accused me of being like Eve Donovan. I was so worried about him I called Kim. I thought she might know what to do because of everything she's been through with Theresa, but all she could tell me was to back off him. I tried, Hope, I really tried, but when it comes to my son, no matter what I do it makes it worse, and now I'm afraid he might never come home."

"He will. Honey, the person who has Paige has what he wants for the moment, so he's not looking for JJ. And as far as the rest of it, JJ's just going through growing pains again. It's not really any different than what I go through with Ciara. He'll get out of this phase eventually."

"I hope so."

"Trust me, cuz. You know how rocky things were between me and Shawn Douglas for a while. Now we talk on the phone every week and I'll probably visit him in the summer. This too will pass. You'll see."

Jen stared into space. "You're absolutely sure he's not in danger?"

"I'm almost positive, but when I check in with Rafe I'll ask him to keep an eye out, just in case."

Jen looked like she was going to cry, but suddenly her face changed. "Maybe he did go see Daniel," she said.

"Probably," Hope agreed. "He's going to be fine, honey. You'll see."

Jen got up from the couch to get her purse from the hall closet. "I don't really want to leave, in case JJ comes home," she said, "but I've been meaning to check in with Daniel about how Parker's doing anyway."

"And in the meantime ask him if he's seen JJ. Jennifer, listen to me. We can put out an APB if you're really worried, and every cop in Salem will look out for him."

"Abigail will be home in a few minutes," Jen said, "in case you need help with Ciara before I get back. If there's any news, text me."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do, cuz?"

Jennifer bit her lip. "I don't want to," she said softly, "but I have to, no matter how angry JJ gets at me. I can't stand this silence, this distance… not with a madman on the loose, not when my son could be in danger."

JJ could feel his eyes glazing over as he sat at the computer. _I should have asked Nicole how to get into that tips folder, _he thought. _Even that is more interesting than this. _He got up, pacing back and forth to wake himself up.

He picked up his phone and flipped through his photos, trying not to think about what could have happened to Paige. There were lots of pictures of him and Paige, ones he hadn't been able to bring himself to delete. Looking at them now, while pacing back and forth in Daniel's apartment, brought back the memory he hadn't thought about since it happened and didn't really want to think about now.

_They had met at Daniel's the day after the Jill thing had happened. Daniel had been kind enough to allow them some privacy, and JJ had hoped they would work things out._

"_Paige, please," JJ said. "You've gotta know I didn't do this on purpose. I was drugged."_

"_You couldn't come up with a better excuse than that?" Paige crossed her arms. "You know, JJ, my mom told me how all you have to do is get a guy drunk and he'll do whatever you want. I thought you were different. But she was right. You weren't different. You just put on a good act."_

"_Paige," JJ began._

"_When I met you, you told me all about the way you used to be, and I accepted it. I thought, that's all in the past, what difference does it make? I mean, my mom has a past, and I hate how people judge her for it. But now it's not the past anymore, JJ. You might not be smoking weed, but alcohol isn't any better. The second my back was turned, you got drunk, and then you… you betrayed me."_

"_Would you just listen?" JJ demanded._

"_What for? There's nothing you can say to make this better, JJ. You broke your promise to me. I hope you can get back on the right path, but I'm not waiting around for it." Paige got up and started towards the door. "You know, you have so much going for you. You're smart. You're funny. You're talented. But your dark side… it's just too much for me. I'm sorry. I thought I could handle it but when I saw what it actually looks like for you to mess up… I can't, JJ, I just can't."_

_JJ blinked back tears. "Paige, I love you," he said. "I don't want any girl but you, okay? So why would I - "_

"_I'm sorry, JJ," Paige said again. "I think I'd better go." She ran out of the room, holding back her own tears._

Now JJ stared at a photo of the two of them from last summer. They were both smiling, their arms around each other, unaware of everything that was about to happen to them. He shook his head and closed his phone, putting the photos to sleep. _I'm over her, _he thought. _I've moved on. So now that she's gone...why can't I stop looking at her picture?_

He turned the phone back on and flipped through his contacts to Marissa's number, stabbing the "call" button with his finger.

Marissa tiptoed up to one of the off-campus apartments. She felt for the knife in her pocket as she stood on her toes to look through the window.

It was totally dark. Jeff wasn't home, that was, if this was really his apartment. She'd found a scrap of paper with his address on it in her bathrobe pocket when she put the knife in; she must have found out where he lived once...had she met him before the attack? She couldn't remember.

She tried the door, but it was locked. Marissa looked over her shoulder, then took the knife out and used it to jimmy the lock. She didn't notice someone watching her through a window, across the street, as she turned the knob and slid into the apartment.

Hope joined Roman's meeting on Skype so that she wouldn't have to leave Ciara with Abigail. Roman, Rafe and Abe were all crammed into his office, so it was just as well; Hope would have been even less comfortable than usual in such a small space.

"First things first," Roman said. "Before we talk about anything else, I want to know if we have any clear suspects on this thing."

"JJ mentioned that he was worried because Jeff Adkins had been hanging around Paige," Hope said, "and my instinct is that JJ was right to be worried, considering what we know about Jeff's recent activities."

Roman nodded. "Jeff's name come up for anyone else?"

"I heard that name twice tonight," Abe said. "The roommate also said she didn't like how much time Jeff was spending around Paige, and another girl in the dorm also told me she was suspicious of him."

"Didn't come up for me, but I'll go with it," Rafe added. "Probably the only reason the mother couldn't finger him is she doesn't have a clue what's going on with her daughter right now."

"All right, I've heard enough." Roman frowned, trying to think. "This guy's definitely on the top of our suspect list, so we have to be real careful how we approach him. Remember: the victim's safety comes first. If Jeff thinks we're onto him, he could decide it's best to get rid of the girl, and that's the last thing any of us want."

"With all due respect," Hope said, "this whole time we've been tiptoeing around Jeff while he's continued committing worse and worse crimes. How much more are we going to let him get away with before we finally make an arrest?"

"Come on, Hope, you've worked these cases before. You know we have to get his trust, get him to tell on himself, and that takes time. I'm gonna let Rafe and Abe handle that. They'll find some pretext to call him into the station tonight and see what they can get out of him."

"Can you call me in when you get him down to the station?" Hope asked. "I think I had better rapport with him and - "

"We've got too much to do to get stuck on any one point," Roman interrupted. Hope bit her lip to stop herself from responding as Roman said, "Moving on…"

While sitting at a table in the back of a diner, Nicole suddenly had an attack of nerves. She called Sally. "Hey," she said, keeping her voice low. "I'm meeting a source and it might be sketchy. Look out for your texts; you know what to do if you get a code yellow. Oh, and our intern showed up at Daniel's so I put him to work monitoring the chat lines. See if you can log in remotely and check up on what he's doing." A shadowy figure approached her table and she said, "Gotta go."

The source slid into a seat across from Nicole as Nicole slid her phone back into her purse. "Ms. Walker?"

"That's me."

"I'm Linda Horowitz. The… um, the cop that contacted you online."

"Okay," Roman said as the meeting wrapped up. "So I want Jeff Adkins in here within the next few hours. I don't care how you do it, just get it done and make sure he thinks we're on his side. In the meantime...Hope, see if you can make some calls, try to put together a cohesive timeline of where Paige Larson went after she left that pharmacy so we can narrow down when and how she was taken. I'll see what I can do about getting the security footage from the square."

"How about I see if I can get a list of abandoned or condemned buildings while I'm at it?" Hope asked. "I know we're still waiting for tech to try to match the photos to locations in our databases, but I'm thinking that he took her someplace where there aren't going to be a lot of people around."

"Yes," Roman said. "Now you're talking, Hope. Do that. Anyone got anything else?"

"We're gonna need more manpower," Rafe said. "We're forgetting there's two other people who more likely than not are involved with this. There's no way the three of us can investigate every angle ourselves, not with the time constraints we're under."

"Right. Tell you what, Rafe. Call in some favors from your FBI contacts, see if they can lend us some more hands."

"One last thing," Hope said. "Um, JJ Deveraux…"

"I thought you ruled him out as a suspect."

"I did, I'm not worried about him from that aspect. He has an alibi and he's genuinely concerned as far as I can tell. The problem is, he didn't take the news well. He's out on the streets somewhere, possibly trying to run his own investigation on the side."

Roman rubbed his temples. "Given his history, do you think he might get destructive?"

"No. It's more that he may try to play the hero. He - "

Just then, Officer Jenkins stuck his head into Roman's office. "Sorry to interrupt," he said. "A call just came in that I think you guys might need to handle."

"What is it?" Roman sounded tired.

"Neighbor just called in a break and enter in an apartment complex by Salem U. We ran the address."

"And?"

"And the apartment belongs to your robbery suspect, Jeff Adkins."

"See, this is why I don't like talking to shrinks," Daniel said, crossing his arms. "You're always looking for hidden motivations and unhealthy habits that, when it comes to me, just aren't there."

"Maybe not," Elizabeth said, "but I'm hearing a ton of defensiveness coming from your corner of the room. I hope you won't feel I'm trampling your boundaries if I ask you what that's all about."

Daniel was quiet for a second, thinking. "People say a lot of crap about me, and I don't care what they think. I really don't. But at the same time, it's wearing after a while, hearing day in and day out that I'm full of myself, that I think I'm so much better than they are and that's why I'm always involved in the middle of someone else's mess."

"I see. Well, you know, Daniel, I wasn't saying that, at all. But okay, I'll bite. If you don't need to be seen as a hero, why are you always in the middle of someone else's mess?"

"I'm a doctor, and I take that seriously. I see someone in distress, someone I can help… even if it's not here in the hospital, even if I'm supposed to be off duty, I'm gonna do what I can."

"Mmm hmm. But what if there's nothing you can do?"

Daniel shrugged. "Then I tell them that. But more often than not, there is something I can do to help. What am I supposed to do, wait around for someone else to figure something out instead of doing what I know I can do to make things better?"

Elizabeth was quiet, ignoring the challenge in Daniel's eyes. She said, softly, "And what if, Daniel… what if instead of being the helper, you find yourself in a situation where you need some help yourself?"

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Daniel sighed deeply. "What now?" he said, and started to get up.

"It's really okay to make whoever that is wait a minute," Elizabeth told him. "You're in the middle of something, why - "

"It could be someone who needs to look in on Parker," Daniel said. "Or it could be someone who's coming to talk to me. I know you don't understand this, but if whoever that is, if it's someone I can do something for… not only will it help them, but it will help me."

"Well, that's up to you," Elizabeth said. "But so you know, I don't allow interruptions in the middle of these types of conversations. So if it's one of Parker's doctors, fine. But if it's anyone else, and you decide you want to talk with them, we won't be able to finish this conversation tonight."

Daniel paused, but he said, "I appreciate your taking the time, Dr. Harper, but I think I've got what I needed to figure this decision out." He got up and pulled open the door.

Jennifer stood on the other side.

Marissa walked slowly around Jeff's apartment, one hand inside her bathrobe pocket, clutching her knife tightly. She could feel Jeff's presence even though he was out at the moment; she had to be ready.

The apartment was neat, very neat. The closest it came to looking lived in was some books on the desk. Marissa ran her fingers over them. They were textbooks about journalism, including one about ethics. She laughed bitterly and knocked them off the desk.

"So this is where you were," she said under her breath as she moved the mouse to wake Jeff's computer up, "when you decided to attack me. Or is it? Was it random? Or was it something about me that made me look like a victim?"

When the computer woke up, it was displaying a full page article about Paige. Marissa shuddered, but she made herself read it. It was about how Paige's mother had won a big settlement in a lawsuit against Jennifer Deveraux. Marissa scrolled down quickly, and sure enough, there was a photo of JJ with his mother. She shook her head, sadly. "There's the proof the cops need," she mumbled, "not that they'll ever find it."

There was a noise like someone was coming. Marissa quickly crouched down in the corner behind the computer desk. She pulled the knife out and held it, waiting, wondering if this is what _he_ felt like when he was waiting for her to open the door so he could grab her.

The door creaked open. Marissa waited. When he came by the computer, that's when she'd attack. Not before.

A familiar voice called out, "Salem PD! We know someone's in here. Put your hands above your head and come slowly out into the living room." Marissa watched as Hope turned towards Rafe and said, "Check the bedrooms. I'll cover out here."

"Last chance," Hope called, drawing her gun. "Come out now."

Marissa turned slightly as Hope and her gun came nearer to her. She felt something cold in her hand; looking at it, she realized she was holding a knife. She gasped and tossed the knife aside; it clattered to the floor.

Hope spun around. "Who's there?"

Marissa slowly stood up, raising her hands over her head. "It's me, Marissa. I'm… I'm coming towards you, okay? Please… please don't shoot me." She took a couple of steps towards Hope.

Hope turned and saw that Marissa was standing on the other side of the room. She was wearing a bathrobe over a nightgown, and her hair looked stringy and tangled. "Marissa?" Hope said. "Are you all right?"

"I...I don't know," Marissa said.

"Yeah," Bev said, still trying to catch the rope on the bedframe. "So I had the chance to get away from Cole and like an idiot, I went back to him again anyway. It was the biggest mistake I've ever made, but I didn't realize until it was way too late." Paige didn't answer. "Paige?" Bev waited a minute, but got no response. She guessed Paige had finally passed out.

Bev's arms hurt, both from being bound to the bed post and from her attempts to free herself. She lowered them as much as the rope would let her, trying to get comfortable, and listened intently to see if she could find out anything that might help her escape. She couldn't. She tried one last time to move her arms, and the rope caught on the bedframe at last. Her eyes widening, she began pushing against the bottom of the bed, trying to saw through the rope.

In the other half of the room, Cole and Jeff were talking quietly. "Are you sure the cops aren't on to us?" Cole asked, pacing back and forth.

Jeff laughed. "It'll take them a month to even figure out that we have two hostages instead of one. Anyway, chill out, dude. I have a plan, remember?"

"Right. What is it?"

"I'm not giving away all my secrets, especially not to you." Jeff's eyes narrowed. "But let's just say this was only Phase 1. Well, this and the beer I gave Paige earlier. She got so wasted, dude." He giggled. "I could have done anything with her I wanted. It's lucky for her that I'm a gentleman."

"Yeah," Cole agreed. "Lucky her."

"You need to get some too," Jeff remarked. He patted Cole's shoulder. "Tell you what. As long as your girl's here, might as well take advantage. Why don't I give you some one-on-one time while I take care of something?"

"Where are you going?"

Jeff bit his lip. "You know what your problem is? You're just like that girl of yours, asking too many questions that are none of your business."

"Sorry. I'm just on edge right now. I can't believe we're going to get away with this."

"Oh, we are, and it's just beginning." Jeff smiled slightly. "I don't mind telling you, as long as you remember who's boss around here."

"I do."

"I just checked the news on my phone and nobody's talking about JJ Deveraux being brought in for questioning or anything like that. So it's up to me to get the cops looking in the right direction." He patted Cole's shoulder again. "Go have a good time with your girl. I'll be back soon."

Cole watched him leave before picking his gun up off the nighttable and going through the curtain.

"Linda Horowitz," Nicole repeated. "No offense, but your name means nothing to me."

"You're not going to use it, though, right?"

"No," Nicole promised. "This is just for my records." The woman across from her wriggled nervously. "So," Nicole said, "how would you feel about telling me something I _can_ use in my story?"

"Right. Well, I'm a cop. Actually, I'm one of Roman Brady's top officers. He sends me out when we need to keep something on the QT, like last week when we arrested that boy who we thought was the robber." Horowitz sat up straighter, clearly proud of her work. "He knows he can trust me. The only reason I came to you was because right now, I think justice can be served more easily if I break my silence than if I keep it. So you understand, Ms. Walker, why my name has to be kept out of it. If I don't talk to you, I don't think that little girl who got kidnapped tonight is ever going to come home, but if I do, I could lose my job."

"I'd give you my word, but that's not worth as much in Salem as it should be," Nicole said. "But no matter what you hear, you can trust me to keep your identity secret. So go ahead and spill the beans."

Horowitz sighed. "The detectives probably know better than I do how to handle the case, but the way they've been doing things from the beginning is just… well, it's all wrong if you ask me. There's a fricking gag order in place because that security guard over at Salem U is so scared that if it gets out that there's a robber wandering around campus, people will drop out or just not come. So on top of the lack of publicity, which I think could have helped us catch this guy a long time ago, the detectives… well, let's just say they're not able to investigate as thoroughly as they'd like because it would upset the relationship with Salem U."

"So are you saying the police are mishandling the case in order to not make waves?" Nicole resisted the temptation to defend Rafe. For once she had to put the truth over her loyalty to her friends. She'd talk to Rafe and get his reaction before she ran the story, if she did, but right now getting information was more important.

"Not exactly." Horowitz bit her lip, nervously. "I'm just saying, they've had their suspicions about Jeff Adkins from the second they interrogated Rory Adams, but they haven't moved as fast as I would have. And now… now it's even worse. Because now it's not just a robbery. Those robberies were bad enough, but I think...and so do the detectives on the case, from what I hear, that Jeff Adkins grabbed that girl."

"Yeah, I figured as much," Nicole agreed. "Is there anything you can tell me about the kidnapping that isn't already common knowledge?"

Horowitz shook her head. "They're very tight-lipped, even more so than usual. The detectives had a meeting, then they all ran off to investigate. I probably won't be called in unless they're ready to make an arrest, which at this rate will be three weeks from Tuesday. All I know right now is that they think there's going to be a ransom demand. There were some text messages sent to the victim's mother. Some photos of the victim and instructions to be by the phone tomorrow morning, that sort of thing." Horowitz sighed. "I'm sorry I can't be more helpful. But I do think that running a story announcing that this girl has been kidnapped will do something for her. I know my superiors are afraid this Adkins kid is going to hurt her if he knows her mom contacted us, but I can't help thinking that they're pussyfooting around again, afraid to upset the perp. The fact is, the more people there are looking for this girl, the more likely we are to find her before it's too late."

"I'll see what I can do," Nicole said. She leaned forward. "There is one thing you can do for me. Do you think you could help me get my hands on a copy of those photos?"

"Um, Jennifer," Daniel said. "This isn't really a good time. Parker's getting what sleep he can before they start with a new round of checking his vitals, and I really need to do the same."

"I know there's never going to be a good time while Parker's sick," Jennifer said. "I wouldn't bother you unless I didn't have a choice."

"And you don't have a choice now because…"

"Things with JJ have gone from bad to worse. Please, Daniel, I know how stressed out you are, but I'm begging you...please just give me five minutes."

"All right." Daniel glanced at Elizabeth Harper as Jennifer entered the room. "Jennifer, this is Elizabeth Harper, the, uh, the pediatric counselor on Parker's case. I was, uh, just finishing a consultation with her when you stopped by."

Elizabeth got up, saying, "We're done, actually." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I'm really sorry to have interrupted," Jennifer said. "Daniel, the last thing I want to do is add to your stress level, believe me. It's just - "

"How about you tell me what's going on with JJ?"

"Right. Um, I guess since you've been here with Parker, you didn't hear about what happened to Paige." Daniel shook his head. Jennifer sighed. "Daniel, Paige disappeared. Eve Donovan got a text, and the cops think she's been kidnapped."

Daniel sank back down into his seat. "Who would want to hurt Paige? They don't… do they suspect Dimera influence behind this?"

"Not as far as I know. Actually, Hope was at my house questioning JJ earlier tonight."

"Oh my God." Daniel rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The cops don't think JJ's involved in her disappearance, do they? And you, you have to know he wouldn't do something like that."

"No, no… it was a formality. They had to talk to anyone who was close to her, that's all. But he didn't take it well, Daniel, not at all." Jen's eyes widened. "He left, and I don't know where he went or what he's doing. I was hoping he'd just gone to see you."

Daniel shook his head. "Sorry." Jen bit her lip and he added, "I really am. Jennifer, it's not that I… that I don't care. You know I'd do anything for JJ, and Paige, she's like a daughter to me. But this on top of Parker's illness… it's a lot to process and I am just too beat to do it tonight."

Jen reddened. "I'm sorry. This whole thing was selfish of me right now. I didn't even ask you how Parker is."

"No, no. There's some crazy criminal running around and JJ's on the streets somewhere. I understand the fear, maybe more than I ever did before." He glanced at Parker. "Parker, he's exactly the same as he was. But that's gonna change soon, I'm sure. We've got a new specialist coming to take a look at him tomorrow."

"I'm sure the specialist will have good news for you," Jennifer said. "They have to. Look how sweet that little boy is."

"I hope so," Daniel said, slowly. "I...I just want this nightmare to end, Jennifer, just as I'm sure you want yours to."

Jennifer sighed. "I'll leave you alone now, Daniel. You've done more for JJ already than I could ever ask, and I'm grateful. I guess that has to be enough."

"Give me five minutes," Daniel said, his eyes starting to close. "I'll… I'll call JJ and see if he'll talk to me."

Jen kissed the top of his head before leaving the room.

Hope put her gun away, but rested her hand on it just in case. "What was that noise I just heard? Did you hurt yourself?"

"No. I… I dropped…" Marissa blinked hard. "I had a knife, okay? I don't know where it came from or how I ended up here… oh God, I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Come over here," Hope told her. Marissa obeyed, her eyes wide with fear. Hope put her hand on Marissa's shoulder. "Can you tell me what you were doing?"

Marissa shook her head. "I have no idea." She blinked back tears. "I was buying a cupcake at the cafeteria after I found out about that girl who…" Marissa's shoulders shook. "Then I heard your voice and I saw I was crouched in the corner holding a.. holding a knife… I… I threw it down, I didn't want it anywhere near me…"

Hope's voice was very soft. "Marissa," she said gently, "you're in Jeff Adkins' apartment. Do you know who he is?"

Marissa's eyes got even wider. "Oh my God. He's… he..." She swallowed. "He's the guy who did this to me, isn't he?"

"We're not sure yet, but we think so."

"Oh God, what did I do?" Marissa glanced at Hope, her eyes wide with fear. "There was… there wasn't any blood on the knife… I don't think so, anyway…"

"You didn't hurt him, if that's what you're asking," Hope told her. "It doesn't look like he's been home for a while. But we don't know what you did do, besides break into his apartment. Detective Hernandez is going to take a look and see if anything's out of place." Marissa nodded. Hope sighed and said, "In the meantime, Marissa, I'm going to need you to come with me."

"No! Please don't arrest me." Marissa began to cry. "I… I don't do things like this… I swear… I was just buying a cupcake and I don't know how I got here… and...and… now, I'm going to jail and the guy who attacked me gets to stand on the other side of my cell and decide whether to press charges…"

"You committed a crime," Hope told her, "and if we hadn't gotten here when we did, you might have committed a worse one."

"I know, but I don't remember it!"

"Marissa! Listen to me," Hope said, trying to lock eyes with Marissa in an attempt to break through the girl's panic. "You're not going to jail, honey, not tonight anyway. I'm taking you to the hospital to make sure you don't hurt yourself or anyone else."

Marissa was quiet, trying to get ahold of herself. She said, "Okay, fine. Let's go." She glanced at Hope, who had removed her handcuffs from her belt. "You have to cuff me?"

"This is for your safety as well as mine," Hope said, deliberately keeping her voice even. "I don't want to think about what could happen if you have another episode like you just had while I'm driving you to the hospital. I'm sorry, Marissa, but I have to restrain you."

Marissa nodded. "You're right," she said, her shoulders slumping. "Do what you have to do. I won't fight it."

Hope was as gentle as possible as she cuffed Marissa. Turning towards Rafe, she said, "Can you do me a favor and page Marlena, then get some uniforms down here to help you search this apartment?"

Rafe nodded. "Hey," he said, seeing Hope was as upset as Marissa was. "Maybe something good'll come out of this. I bet you anything Jeff Adkins has something in this apartment that's gonna help us get him for once and for all. Your girl here might have just given us the break we needed."

Hope nodded. She patted Marissa's shoulder as she led her out of Jeff's apartment.

Horowitz's eyes widened. "What...what makes you think I have access to those photos?"

Nicole gave her an exasperated look. "It's a little late for the 'I know nothing' game. If anyone has those photos, it's you-and if not, you know how to get them."

"Maybe." Horowitz's voice was suddenly hard. "Mind telling me what you need them for?"

"I'm not going to put them on the air. Not unless you want me to." Nicole sipped her water. "You and I have a common acquaintance. To you, he's a smart-mouthed kid who you wish could be given a thousand lashes for standing up to you, or at least locked up for years to come. To me, he's an intern who happens to go to school with almost everyone involved in this disaster."

Horowitz reddened. "Hey, I was trying to keep that kid out of trouble, even though he was pretty determined to get himself in it."

"Yeah, well so am I. Between you and me, you're not the only one who thinks your fellow cops could be doing a better job. So before my intern gets himself a get-into-jail forever card, let's give him something better to do than get underfoot. If you give me the photos, I can put him to work seeing if he recognizes anything." Horowitz frowned and Nicole said, "We're not going to steal your investigation from you. I don't make promises to cops, but this time I'll make an exception. Anything we find out about where Paige Larson is goes straight to Rafe Hernandez, he sends you to be a hero, and we all win."

Horowitz's eyes narrowed. "You're sure you can trust this kid? He seemed like a big bundle of impulsive behavior to me."

"I can handle him. Come on, Linda, you don't have a lot of time to waste, and last I heard you don't think the case is going anywhere. We can help you, and quite frankly, we're better off working together." Nicole leaned forward. "I told you. My intern isn't the type to give up easily, and he's going to throw himself right into the middle of the investigation. Chances are he'll find Paige...but do you really want a 19-year-old kid going after this guy his way? You said you wanted to keep him out of trouble. Here's your chance."

Horowitz thought for a second. "All right," she said. "But this never came from me, understand?"

"Like I said at the beginning, you can trust me to keep your identity hidden."

Horowitz picked up her phone. "This link's only good for the next 24 hours, and you'll have to put in a password to access it." She showed Nicole something on her phone. "Think you can remember that? I don't want it floating around."

Nicole glanced at it and nodded.

"Got it boss," Rafe said. He was on the phone with Roman while a couple of uniforms were searching Jeff's apartment. "I know we don't have a warrant, but even though we didn't make an arrest, don't you think the girl's breaking in here gave us cause to search? Okay, look, how about we leave what we find right here, use it in interrogation, then come back later with a warrant to collect it? Yeah, I'll tell them."

"Detective Hernandez," one of the uniforms called.

Rafe came over to the computer. The uniform gestured towards the screen. Rafe glanced at it. "He was reading up on the victim. Good. Photograph this screen and see if you can find anything else."

"Already ahead of you." The uniform pressed a couple of buttons on the keyboard to switch the screen. Rafe's eyes widened. "Story ideas," he read aloud. "1. Change some grades and expose the scandal of football players getting away with bad grades. 2. Call the cops on one of those stupid keggers then cover the story." He sighed. "He obviously was trying to get Nicole's attention with manufactured stories, but he was smart enough not to write down anything about what he actually did."

"Or he erased it. We need to get a tech in here to check out previous versions of this file."

"Can't. Not yet anyway." Rafe sighed. "But you can go ahead and screenshot this too. As far as I'm concerned, this was in plain sight when we got here."

_JJ saw Cole and Jeff carrying Paige, but he was frozen, his arms crossed, unable to do anything to help as the other two boys carried her bound figure towards the river. Paige tried to scream, but she'd been gagged so it came out muffled. And as JJ watched, not moving even though he knew he should do something, Cole and Jeff threw Paige into the river and watched her sink…_

JJ jerked awake as his phone rang, finding himself on Daniel's couch. He blinked hard. His phone rang again. "Marissa?" he said into it, half asleep but remembering she was the last person he'd called.

"What? It's Daniel, man. You awake?"

JJ woke up fully now. "I am now. What's up? Did Parker take a turn for the worse?"

"No, thank God. He's stable for now. But listen, I wanted to check in with you. I heard about Paige, man, and that the cops were hassling you."

"My mom came to see you, didn't she?" JJ got up and began pacing back and forth. "I swear, Daniel, she's blowing things all out of proportion. She's convinced that cause of what happened to Paige, I'm gonna be next."

"She might have her reasons, okay, but - "

"She's lost it, man, and as much as I love her, she is driving me crazy. I had to get some space."

"That's not why I called," Daniel said. "Look, man, I'm stretched pretty thin with Parker's illness, but that doesn't mean I've forgotten you. And I know, JJ, I know that no matter how much you think you've moved on, that you still care about Paige. Finding out that she's missing, and having the cops looking at you, that has to have taken a toll. So the reason I took time out from what little sleep I can get, JJ, is because I'm concerned about you."

JJ sighed. "I appreciate it, man," he said slowly.

"So are you okay?"

JJ shook his head. "Honestly? No. But I have to be, Daniel, cause the cops, they're no closer to finding Paige than they were an hour ago, and me being upset, that's not gonna bring her back. Daniel, I know who did this and so does Hope, but she's not doing anything about it. She says they have to build a case and make it airtight before they can even make an arrest, and by the time they do that… I don't know what kind of shape Paige's gonna be in, man, and I can't just sit here waiting to find out."

"I know the feeling." Daniel sighed. "Where are you, man?"

"Actually," JJ said, "I'm at your place. Nicole told me I could hang out here while she did something real quick." Daniel was quiet and JJ said, "That's okay, isn't it? I mean, if you don't want me here I'll get out."

"No, no, that's fine. I'm just glad you're somewhere safe. But listen, JJ, I don't want anyone else in there except Nicole. Not Rory, not Bev, not this Marissa person that you were expecting to hear from. Deal?"

"No problem."

"Okay. Good. And another thing, JJ… call your mom. Just let her know you're safe so she can sleep tonight."

JJ bit his lip. "Can't you do it?" he asked. "Daniel, if I call her she's gonna come storming over here making a scene."

"Sorry, man, but I don't have the energy to get in between you and your mom tonight. And even if I did, this is between you and her. I know it's not fun when your mom gets herself into a state, but JJ, you can handle it and it's time, man, it's time you faced her on your own. And once you do, JJ, once you do, you can feel proud of the fact that no matter what she says, you faced her instead of running away. So no more excuses. Call her and get it over with. Okay?"

"You're right," JJ said. "I'll call her."

"Good."

There was an awkward silence and then JJ said, "Hey Daniel, you still there?"

"I'm here."

"Um, listen, I just wanted to say, I've been thinking about Parker a lot and if there's anything I can do to help you, just say the word, man, I'll be there."

"I appreciate that. But I'm okay right now. I do gotta get some sleep though."

They said good night to each other and hung up. JJ picked up his phone again and stared at Jen's picture. Daniel was right, yet he couldn't bring himself to make the call. Instead, he sent her a text, mumbling, "Sorry, Daniel, but I'm too much of a coward."

At the hospital, Maxine said Hope could put Marissa into an empty exam room until Marlena got there. Marlena came in just as Hope was sitting Marissa in a chair. "You can take off the handcuffs," she told Hope. "I'll take responsibility for whatever happens now."

Marissa stared at the floor while Hope freed her hands. Hope left the room and Marissa hugged herself, but didn't look up.

"Well," Marlena said. "I heard you had quite a night, Marissa."

Marissa lifted her head to glare at Marlena. "Go ahead," she said, blinking back tears. "Tell me how much I suck at being your patient."

"Excuse me?"

Marissa shook her head. "I was on the medication you gave me for what, three hours, and look what I did. I guess I should be grateful that Detective Brady didn't ask you to come to the jailhouse to check me out, but really, I'm not."

"Okay. What do you feel?"

Marissa shook her head. "Nothing, I guess."

They were quiet for a second. Then Marlena said, softly, "It must have been quite a shock for you when you found out that a girl in your dorm had been kidnapped. Do you remember hearing that news?"

"I'll never forget it," Marissa said, "just like I'll never forget what he did to me." She got up, pacing back and forth. "It plays in my mind over and over and over and over. His breath in my ear, his hand on my mouth, me on the bed being tied up… just over and over and over… I can't stop remembering. Going to his apartment to do something he probably deserved… that's the only thing I've forgotten."

"I see." Marlena's voice was very soft. "You suffered a terrible ordeal at this boy's hands. I wonder, Marissa, what flashed through your mind when you heard about this other girl who may also be his victim?"

Marissa shook her head. "That could have been me. I don't know why it wasn't, but I guess I was just practice for him."

"And you don't remember at all how you ended up in his apartment?"

"No! I told you, I don't!" Marissa blinked back tears. "I'm glad Detective Brady came in when she did because I think that it jolted me back into my right mind. But you know what? In a way I wish she hadn't. I wish I'd had the opportunity to do to Jeff Adkins what he did to me, even if I would never remember it afterwards, even if I had to live with the knowledge that he drove me out of my mind to the point that I took a knife and...and…" She dissolved into tears. Marlena waited, saying nothing. After a few seconds Marissa got ahold of herself, wiping her eyes with the back of her bathrobe sleeve. "I'm making a fool out of myself, aren't I? And you're probably going to tell Detective Brady and I'm going to end up in jail after all."

"No," Marlena said. "In my professional opinion, jail is the last place you belong. However, I am going to recommend you stay here in the hospital for a few days. I suspect your body is having a negative reaction to the medication I put you on, and that may be making your symptoms worse. But that should stabilize within a couple of days, and if it doesn't, we'll switch the medication."

"And if I say no?"

"I'm afraid that's not an option right now. You already demonstrated that you're a danger to Jeff Adkins, and with the mood swings and dissociation you're having, I'm not convinced you won't hurt yourself, either. I know you don't like the idea of being confined, but I'm sure you'll agree being here in the hospital, getting some help, is far preferable to sitting in jail for the next few days."

Marissa bit her lip. "What about the re-enactment tomorrow?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. Now, I'm going to prescribe a mild sedative so you can sleep tonight, and then we'll re-evaluate tomorrow. Come with me and I'll get you set up in your room."

"No." Marissa backed away from Marlena. "No, I have to do this tomorrow, he has Paige and the cops are never going to catch him, this is the only way I'll ever get anything like justice."

"You've done enough," Marlena told her. "You gave the police your attacker's name. Now you're just going to have to trust them...and me." She moved closer to Marissa. Marissa backed up until she was against the wall. She hugged herself, sobbing. Marlena said, softly, "It's time for you to get some rest, Marissa, and in the morning I want to try something with you that will help you get what you want." She held out her hand. "Come on, now." Marissa rocked back and forth, calming herself, then slowly reached up and let Marlena take her hand to help her up.

Hope called Rafe from the hospital waiting room to update him and find out if there were any new developments. He sighed. "I was hoping we'd get something out of this mess our witness made, but it doesn't look like it. The good news is, she didn't do anything but hide in a corner with a knife. Since pretty much nothing happened, the DA's not gonna press charges. So she can be left alone til she recovers."

"If she ever does." Hope sighed. "She's taken a lot of abuse, Rafe, and what happened to her seems to have hit her harder than the other victims."

"Yeah."

"What?" Hope said. "You saw what that girl was like, Rafe. You can't say you think she deserves anything other than some time in a hospital bed."

"I feel for her too, Hope, believe me I do. It's just… look, she wasted our time. While we were busy chasing after her, Paige was still in Jeff's company and we came no closer to finding out what happened to her. Plus, Roman says we can't touch what we found in the apartment cause without an arrest, there's no probable cause for searching the place. I might have found a way around that, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope here."

"I know." Hope sighed. Then her eyes widened. "Maybe it wasn't entirely a waste."

"What do you mean?"

"Roman told us to find a reason to bring Jeff in, right? Maybe Marissa gave us a gift. What better reason is there for him to come down than for us to tell him that his apartment was broken into?"

Daphne walked down the hall, sliding a missing person flyer she'd made under everyone's door in her dorm. She hesitated in front of Marissa's door. She knew the girl who lived here had been robbed and tied up; maybe it would upset her too much to see this. On the other hand, she was going to know eventually, and maybe she'd be motivated to help. She slid the flyer under the door and turned a corner.

"Want some help?" a voice said behind her. Daphne flinched. She turned to see Jeff standing there.

"What do you want?" Daphne demanded.

"I came as soon as I heard, you know, to see if it was true. What are those flyers?"

"You mean you came to see if you could write a story about what you did to Paige," Daphne snapped.

Jeff's mouth dropped open. "Is that what people are saying? We must travel in different circles, cause I've heard at least five people say they're sure JJ Deveraux is behind this. Here, let me help you distribute those flyers." Jeff held his hand out.

Daphne sighed and pressed a flyer into it. "Put this in your scrapbook."

"Come on, Daphne, why would I do anything to Paige? I mean, she and I were hitting it off, weren't we? Any day now, she probably would have asked me out."

"I dunno. Maybe you were jealous that she talked to other guys. Or maybe, you thought it would make a good front page story for whatever sleazy outfit is willing to take you on."

Jeff's eyes flashed. "I can't believe you're falling for whatever lies JJ is spreading. Look, it's obvious it was him. You saw how he was after the last time I talked to Paige. He's been hanging around that girl who his friend attacked, too… probably he just wanted to get the details from her so he could pull off this kidnapping. I'm telling you, JJ is obsessed with Paige. That's all he talks about in class."

"Oh, really?" Daphne's tone was neutral.

"He thinks he's going to get back with her. I bet her blowing him off the other day pushed him over the edge. Think, Daphne… think about how easy it would have been for him to get her to go with him. Plus, everyone knows they broke up because her mom won some lawsuit against his mom. It would be the perfect revenge."

Daphne bit her lip but said nothing.

"Anyway," Jeff said, "I hope they find her before it's too late. If you give me some of these flyers, I'll help get the word out, okay?"

Daphne nodded. Jeff took a pile of flyers and walked off.

Bev had just about freed herself when Cole came into the room. She stopped what she was doing and stared at him, wide-eyed. "What do you want?"

"You'd think by now you'd have learned to watch your mouth," Cole said. He knelt down by Bev and said, softly, "I'm sorry you got tied up here, even if you did do it to yourself."

_What's that supposed to mean? _Bev thought, but for once she said nothing.

"Look, Jeff's out for a few, so this is my only chance to make it up to you." Cole ran his fingers through Bev's hair. "I knew what he was capable of, found out the day we started working together. Why do you think I tried to get you to stay the hell out of my business? I mean, look, Bev, you're a pain in the ass, and nosy, and you're one spoiled rich bitch, but that doesn't mean I wanted him to hurt you. Now it's out of my hands though, so if I were you I would learn to stay nice and quiet and just go along with what he wants before things get any worse."

"Why?" Bev said, half angry and half flirtatiously. Maybe she could seduce Cole into letting them go after all.

"You know why," Cole said in her ear. "Come on, Bev, make the best of this." He stroked her ear with his fingers.

Bev let him touch her while behind her back, she slid her hands up the pole and sawed through the last of the rope. It snapped. She pretended to pull away, then when Cole tried to slap her, she suddenly grabbed his wrist and twisted it. "It's payback time," she said, her eyes snapping. Adrenalin rushed through her system as Cole pulled away from her. She got up now, ready to fight, her eyes blazing.

Cole reached for his gun. Bev knew she couldn't win against him, not long-term, but she did know a thing or two about fighting. She grabbed his wrist again. The gun clattered to the floor. Cole lunged at Bev, trying to push her onto the bed. Bev sidestepped him and dived for the gun. She picked it up and pointed it at Cole, her hand shaking.

JJ sat in front of the computer His screen said, "SECURE EMAIL" in large, bold letters that made him nervous. He bit his lip. "Okay," he said into the phone. "I'm at the login screen." He typed as he listened, entering the ID and password Nicole was giving him, torn between being honored that she trusted him and scared of what he would find once he got in.

"I'm in," he said while he waited for the email to load. The little hourglass on his screen seemed to stay there forever, then suddenly, the email loaded. He stared at the screen, open mouthed. There was Paige, larger than life, a silk scarf stuffed in her mouth. Her eyes were wide with fear and JJ felt like they were calling to him, telling him to help her.

"And you can see the photos?" Nicole asked.

"Yeah." JJ kept his voice tightly controlled. "So, uh, what's the plan now?"

"Step 1: Tell me you're okay with looking at these and mean it."

"I'm fine. Really."

"Even though you still care about Paige?"

JJ looked away from the photos, then back at them. "We're wasting time. What do you need me to do?"

"Well… The cops have been staring at these until their eyes bleed, which I'm not sure took all that long...anyway, they can't make out where Paige is being held from the background. And to tell you the truth, I'm not doing much better. But I thought, Jeff probably took her somewhere that's both out of the way and familiar to college kids. So maybe you can see something in the background I can't."

JJ scrolled down to the second photo, which was taken from behind. This picture was very dark, but he thought he could make out something about the pole Paige's hands were tied to. It looked like there was another pole coming sideways out of the bottom. Something like… "She's tied to a bed," he said slowly, thinking aloud. "But where? It's gotta be some out of the way place."

He scrolled from one photo to the other, up and down, up and down. A memory was starting to come to him.

"_Dude!" Rory had said. "Did you hear about the haunted house on the edge of town? That would, like, be a totally awesome place to spend Halloween."_

"_What haunted house?"_

"_It used to be a motel, like back when our parents were kids… but some lady was murdered there… and I've heard her ghost wanders the rooms, trying to get justice or whatever. So, like, the place closed down but it's still standing."_

"I need to make a call," JJ said. "I have an idea but I have to check something out first."

"Call me back in five minutes," Nicole told him. "And JJ, I know this is unusual for me, but step 2, or step 3 I guess, is that once we get a location, we're giving it to Rafe."

"Won't he want to know where we got it from?"

"Probably, but let me handle that. But I'm going to go out on a limb and risk you throwing back in my face every time I haven't listened to what I'm about to tell you."

"What?" Irritation crept into JJ's voice.

"This isn't the time for heroics, okay? Once we figure out where Paige is, we're going to let the cops handle it."

"Got it," JJ said in a voice that made Nicole doubt he was going to listen, but she let him go so he could investigate his lead.

Jen was wandering aimlessly through Horton Town Square, not sure where she was going or if there was any point to going anywhere. As far as she knew, JJ hadn't come home, since Abigail hadn't called or texted. She hadn't heard from JJ since his text saying he was safe and not to worry. She read it again now, trying to reassure herself and failing to do so.

She saw Nicole come out of the Brady Pub and turned, walking quickly towards her. "Nicole," she said. "Just who I wanted to see right now."

Nicole didn't smile. "I'm in a hurry, Jennifer. Impactful news stories like the low customer numbers at the frozen yogurt place don't wait for anyone."

"Let me ask you just one question then." Jennifer crossed her arms and glared at Nicole. "Are you even thinking about my son's safety?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I know all about the ideas you're putting into JJ's head. I saw Rafe earlier, and he told me that JJ thinks he's going to catch the person who's been terrorizing Salem U all on his own. Now, there's only one person who is reckless enough and has an inflated enough ego to think they know better than the police how to solve crimes, and that's you. So before my son gets into a situation he's not equipped to handle, stop and think. It's not just your own life you're putting at risk for the sake of the story. It's JJ's too."

"You're right," Nicole said quietly. "I didn't know what I was getting into with JJ. Your son is pretty determined to find out what he wants to know and incredibly loyal to the people he cares about, to the point that he doesn't even recognize danger if a friend is in trouble. Thanks to him, I've had to hold back my natural tendency to jump head first into the fire and worry about whether my clothes are fireproof later. Jennifer, I've taken on a role that is so incredibly uncharacteristic of me, for his sake. I've tried to be the voice of reason holding him back."

"You, the voice of reason?" Jen laughed. "Was that what you were being when you hired him without bothering to tell me?"

"I'm sorry, Jennifer, but I didn't think I needed a signed permission slip before I hired your 19-year-old son." Jennifer scowled and Nicole said, "I didn't tell JJ not to tell you. If I were doing the work he's doing at his age… well, I can only wish I had someone I could brag about it to. But if you're the last to know what your son is up to, maybe you should stop attacking me and start looking in the mirror." Nicole's phone beeped. "Excuse me," she said. "I don't have any more time to waste, especially not when you're trying to shoot down somebody who's pulled out stops she didn't even know existed to keep your son from getting killed trying to cover this story himself." Jen's lower lip trembled and Nicole said, "Look, I like you, Jennifer, and I like your son. But I'm not going to harbor the delusion that you're my friend, or that you're ever going to get that I'm trying to be yours. I'm heading over to Daniel's to check up on JJ now. Maybe you should come with me so you can talk to him yourself and see whatever adventurous spirit you haven't managed to crush yet comes from him, not from me." Nicole walked off without waiting for another word.

JJ picked up the phone again, thinking about how he had stormed out of Kurt's apartment. Hopefully Rory was so wasted at the time that he wouldn't remember, because JJ needed him now. He sighed and touched Rory's photo in his phone to dial his number.

It rang four times. JJ was about to hang up when he heard, "Rory's phone."

"Kurt?" JJ was confused.

"JJ!" Kurt had obviously continued drinking after JJ left. "Glad you called, dude. Rory's partied out but we saved some stuff for you in case you decided to break up with that frown and come chill with us."

"Thanks, man, but I can't. I got pulled in to work."

"Bummer."

"Yeah." JJ sighed. "Listen, Kurt, you know that haunted house Rory wanted to go to last Halloween?"

"Haunted house? Dude, it's the wrong time of year to be messing with ghosts." Kurt laughed.

"Yeah, do you know where it is?"

"Do I! Listen, I'm too… I don't think I can drive. Maybe tomorrow. It's like, down this super windy road off the expressway. It's all dark and curvy and it's like you're gonna fall off the world, man, like driving down there is half the fun. And dude, you're gonna feel like you're not in Salem anymore cause you pass that sign saying city limits, but it's lying, you're still there, just on the edge." Kurt giggled. "I don't think you can ever get out of Salem, not even if you go all the way to Chicago."

"All set up?" Hope asked the tech guy, who was sitting at a computer on the other side of the station.

"All systems go." The tech guy pressed a button on his headset.

Hope called Jeff's number. "Mr. Adkins," she said, making sure to give him the respect he thought he deserved. "This is Hope Brady from the Salem police department."

"I hope you've got something new on that stoner who attacked me in the woods," Jeff said. "I'd hate to have to write a story about how the police are on the side of criminals and thieves."

"Actually, I'm afraid I'm calling about something else. We caught someone breaking into your apartment earlier tonight."

"Was it Rory still trying to wreak havoc with my life? Or his friend JJ? I know JJ's your cousin's kid, but you really need to look closer at him. He has a real violent streak in him, and I wouldn't be surprised if he was behind the disappearance of that girl over in the dorms tonight."

Hope bit her lip. "We do have a suspect in custody, but they're not talking. So we were wondering… do you mind coming down to see if you recognize the person who broke into your place?"

There was a pause. "Jeff?" Hope asked. "Are you still there?"

"Sorry. I don't get good reception here. I, uh, I happened to go out of town earlier today. It's a long trip...can this wait until tomorrow?"

"We can only hold them for 24 hours unless you press charges."

Another pause, then Jeff said, "I guess I'll try to make it in the morning then." He hung up before Hope could say another word.

Hope glanced at the tech guy. "Please tell me this wasn't a total bust."

"I was able to ping his phone a couple times," the tech guy said. "He was moving, probably driving someplace. Give me a few to analyze the coordinates, and then I can give you a general location."

Hope nodded. _You're too smart to come to us, _she thought, _but we're going to come get you._

JJ had done a Ewe Search based on what Kurt had told him. The first couple of links had been busts, but now he'd found an article about last Halloween.

_Teens' Halloween Trick Leads to Arrests, _the headline read. JJ noticed with some pride that Nicole had written the article. He scrolled down quickly, trying to find out where the place was. "Abandoned motel off of route 6," he read. "City wanted to condemn the building but it's a historical landmark… last open in 1953... " He scrolled past the story of what had happened there before to find out that it was very easy to break into because it was so old, and that it was way on the outskirts of town, where nobody would know what was going on unless they happened to be on that road.

He picked up his phone, thinking. Nicole probably knew exactly where this place was, since she did the story. He was fine with her calling the cops, but she probably was gonna go cover it herself and leave him out, and he wanted to at least be there so he could see for himself that Paige was safe. On the other hand, he had no plan yet, and Nicole was kind of right that the cops should be the ones to take Jeff out.

He dialed Hope's number. "Hope, listen - "

"JJ!" Hope said, settling into her office chair. "I'm glad you called. Your mom's worried sick about you."

"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna call her next. But - "

" I only have a second, but as long as you're on the phone, I want to tell you that you were right to have us check up on Marissa. She's not in great shape, but we got to her in time. She's in the hospital, and you'll probably be able to visit her tomorrow."

JJ squeezed his eyes shut. "Oh God. Did she…"

"I can't tell you any more than that, JJ, I'm sorry. But all you need to know is that she's safe."

"Thanks." JJ took a deep breath. "Listen, Hope, there's - "

"Hope!" Roman's voice was in the background. "Tech guy's got something for you."

"I gotta go, JJ," Hope said. "Call your mom, okay?" She hung up before JJ could say another word.

He sighed and stared at his phone. _What'd I expect? _he thought, pulling his jacket back on. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he had to go to that abandoned motel himself. He texted Nicole, quickly. "Got a lead. Abandoned motel Route 6." He sighed. He knew it was probably stupid, but he couldn't help thinking that he should head out that way himself before Nicole got here and made him go home.

He paused at the door of Daniel's apartment. Maybe he should go to the hospital and see if he could get in to see Marissa. He shook his head. She'd still be there tomorrow, and if he could tell her that they'd caught Jeff it would probably help her.

"You're going down, Jeff," he said under his breath. "One way or the other."

When he pulled open the door to Daniel's apartment, his mother was on the other side.

"Cole!" Jeff called as Bev told Cole, "Untie her and give me the rope."

"You wouldn't have the guts to shoot me," Cole told her.

"Keep your mouth shut," Bev said, keeping her voice even, "and do what I say."

"Where are you, man?" Jeff called from the other room. "You can't still be with your girl."

"Y-yeah, I am!" Cole called. He turned towards Bev. "Well? Go ahead. Kill me if you want."

"Don't tempt me," Bev snapped.

"Look," Cole said, "I know I did a lot of stuff to you, but Bev, come on, I know you. You're not a killer like Jeff. You're like me. You just like to get into a little trouble here and there, but nothing major."

"You know, there was a time I would have listened to you." Bev's hand was shaking and she wished it wouldn't. "I would have forgiven you anything, Cole, before all this. Even when Jeff wanted to keep me tied up in your apartment and you didn't defend me, I forgave you. But as soon as you shoved this thing in my side, you… you lost me, Cole. I can't forgive you anymore, no matter how much you swear you didn't mean it or that Jeff made you. We're done." She blinked back tears; there was no time to cry. "Untie Paige. Now."

Jeff came in just then. "What the hell, Cole?" He glanced at Bev holding the gun and shuddered.

"Let Paige go," Bev said again. "No more games."

"I'll do it," Jeff said. "You just sit on the bed, Cole. I'll deal with you later." He knelt down by Paige, holding his hands up. "I'm going to untie her, okay?"

Bev nodded, but she didn't lower the gun.

Jeff put hs hands behind the post where Bev couldn't see them. Suddenly, he took out his knife and put it against Paige's throat. "This ends now," he said. "Drop the gun or I'm going to have to hurt Paige."

Bev looked back and forth from Cole to Jeff. "I mean it," Jeff said, "and unlike you I'm not just playing at being tough." He ran his free hand through Paige's hair. "She's such a nice girl, isn't she?" he said, his eyes blazing. "There was a time where I'd hoped… well, anyway. Don't make me hurt her. Drop the gun. Now!"

Bev's eyes filled with tears as she dropped to her knees and put the gun on the floor. Jeff waited until Cole was behind Bev, pulling her hands behind her back, before taking his knife away from Paige's throat.

"What've you got for me?" Hope asked.

The tech guy came in all the way. "We couldn't get an exact location off of Jeff's phone, as you know. But we got the general vicinity. He was on the expressway, headed north towards Chicago."

"Chicago? Okay, so has anyone contacted Chicago PD yet?"

"Towards Chicago," the tech guy said again. "Not in Chicago. As far as we can tell, he's still in Salem."

On the other side of the police station, Rafe was on the phone. "Nicole, listen. Are you sure? Oh. Yeah, you're right, that changes things.. Okay, I'm on my way." He called Abe over.

"What's up?"

"Long story. I'll tell you in the car. But we gotta get out to the abandoned motel off of Route 6."

"Was that a tip on where Paige Larson's being held?"

Rafe nodded. "And not just that. There may be more than one life hanging in the balance here."

Paige woke up to the sound of a scuffle behind her. Her head was pounding and the room felt like it was spinning a little. She thought she might throw up, but took a deep breath to make the sensation pass.

As the room spun around her, she got more and more scared. She was tied tighter than ever to the bed post; struggling made the rope dig into her wrists.

As Paige began breathing heavily, trying to control the panic growing inside her, the scuffle got louder. There was a loud bang, like a car misfiring only worse, then all of a sudden, it was silent.


	13. Chapter 13

Cole stared at the gun in his hand as Bev clutched her shoulder. "Oh my God, Bev," he said. "It was an accident, I swear… I didn't mean…"

Bev took her hand away from her shoulder. It was full of sticky, red stuff. "I'm bleeding," she said, sounding dazed. "You shot me, Cole, and now I'm going to die."

Cole and Jeff stared at each other. Across the room, the bed banged against the floor as Paige struggled to get free of her bonds. "Do something!" Cole screamed at Jeff.

"I'll do something all right," Jeff said. He grabbed a blanket off the bed and tossed it to Cole. "Put pressure on her wound or something. Maybe she'll stop bleeding."

"We gotta get her to a hospital."

"We can't do that without getting caught, and I told you, we're not getting caught. You try to help her. I gotta get Paige calm before something worse happens." Jeff went through the curtain.

"Jeff - " Cole began as he knelt down by Bev.

"This is why I hate guns," Jeff called over his shoulder.

Cole took Bev's hand gently off her wound so he could wrap the blanket around her. "It's okay," he said, pressing on the wound to try to control the bleeding. "You're going to be okay, even if I have to go to jail for it."

"Mom," JJ said, surprised. "Um, what are you doing here?"

"I've been debating whether to come get you or leave you alone all night," Jen told him, "and it looks like I decided just in time. Where do you think you're going?"

JJ crossed his arms. "Mom - "

"Don't Mom me." Jen started to come in.

JJ blocked the door with his arm and said, "Daniel said not to let anyone in here."

"He didn't mean me, and you know it. Wherever you were going is going to have to wait a few minutes, because you and I need to talk." Jen took JJ's hand off the doorway and came in. "When did you talk to Daniel, anyway? He said he hadn't seen you."

"Stop following me around!"

JJ glared at his mother. She looked back at him, and for a second he thought they were going to have another huge argument. Then Jen said, softly, "I've made a lot of mistakes, honey, and I hope I haven't lost you forever. So I won't keep you from whatever it is you're doing that you think is more important than your relationship with me."

JJ wanted to stay angry, but his anger faded anyway. "I didn't mean it that way," he said. "It's just something kinda urgent came up and I really have to - "

"Just answer one question," Jen told him, "and then I'll leave you alone until whatever time you decide to come home."

"What?" Annoyance crept into JJ's voice again.

Jen sighed. "Why didn't you tell me you were working for Nicole? She says she didn't tell you not to, so that means you just didn't want to. I had to find out from Rafe when he stopped by earlier, and he seemed to think it was common knowledge. So for some reason you were afraid to tell me that you got a job."

"Mom, I - "

"Before you answer, I want you to know I'm not angry. I just want to understand, honey, where did I go so wrong that you're afraid to tell me what's going on in your life?"

Philip leaned on his elbow, watching Chloe sleep. She was lying on her side, breathing softly in and out. Philip thought she looked more beautiful than ever. Even when she was asleep, he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He reached out to stroke her hair, wanting to wake her, but changed his mind. Instead he sat up and took out his phone. He flipped through some photos of Chloe and Parker that she had sent him a couple weeks ago, before Parker had gotten sick. Parker was almost too big for Chloe in these photos. His eyes were sparkling and he had a wide smile. He just seemed so full of life-how could his body have been harboring the secret that his heart was about to give out?

Philip shook his head and closed the photo, not wanting to think about Parker's illness, or all the time he missed, or how he'd felt like his wife and child had been stolen from him the second he got the news that Parker was not his little boy, not biologically. Chloe had said to him, "I think Parker's parents should be together, don't you?" and he had nodded, not realizing that she meant Daniel now, not him. But even after he understood that she meant to leave with their - no, with _her_ son, Philip had not said a word. He'd just retreated deeper into his suddenly too-large and too-empty apartment and looked for ways to forget.

That was then, this was now. He had Chloe back, at least, and soon he was going to be a part-time parent to Parker, if everything went well. _Don't get ahead of yourself, Kiriakis, _he thought. _You haven't seen the little guy since he's been able to talk… and play… and form memories… you don't know that there's even going to be a connection with him tomorrow._ He sighed deeply, then glanced over at Chloe, who was sleeping so peacefully despite everything that was happening.

Philip picked up his phone again. "Room service?" he said quietly. "We need a bottle of wine and some fruit, whatever you have in season. Yeah, grapes and pineapple is fine. Thanks." He hung up the phone.

Chloe reached for him in her sleep. "Philip?" she mumbled. "Who's on the phone?"

"Nobody important," Philip told her. He laid back down, cuddling her and running his fingers through her hair. "Ssh… go back to sleep… I was just setting up a surprise."

"No more surprises," Chloe mumbled, but she went back to sleep. Philip allowed himself to kiss the back of her neck before letting the room service person in to deliver the food.

Across town, Victor was telling Henderson, "I'll take care of the candles myself. You just concentrate on the meal."

"Very good, sir." Henderson left the dining room. He went into the living room, where Maggie was working on a crossword puzzle. "Mr. Kiriakis requests your presence in the dining room," he announced.

Maggie looked up. "Does he, now?" she said, a slightly annoyed tone creeping into her voice. "I hope he hasn't roped you into some crazy scheme to get me to forgive him for going over Daniel's head. He should know by now that I just need time to get over it whenever he pulls one of his little tricks."

"Would you like me to relay that message to him?"

"No, no, I'll go see what he wants."

Maggie came into the dining room and stood in the doorway while Victor lit two long candles in the center of the table, using a silver lighter monogrammed with his initials. She came all the way in and said, softly, "I thought you liked to leave the dirty work to others."

"Eh, I'm an old softie, and romance is best left to the lovers themselves." Victor turned towards Maggie, smiling slightly. "Besides, I learned a long time ago that as a man, it's my job to offer an elaborate apology, even when I don't have any idea what the hell I did wrong."

Maggie crossed her arms. "You know, Victor, you don't have to go overboard trying to win my heart. You already have that, even if sometimes I wonder how I missed that I was marrying a fool."

"Maybe you're the fool for putting up with me." Victor put the lighter away. "Maggie, I'm grateful every day that you're in my life. I don't have to ask you if I say it enough because I know the answer is no. Now I'm not a man for who the words 'I love you' come lightly, but that's exactly what I'm trying to say."

"Oh, I know." Maggie came all the way into the room. "And I hope you know that I love you too, Victor." She put her arms around him. "I wasn't really angry at you, you know. I understood that you were trying to do what was best for Parker, and hopefully Daniel knows your intentions were good too now. I just wish you'd waited five minutes for him to come around."

"I took a calculated risk. Anger blows over eventually, but Parker's health may not be reversible if we wait too long. I didn't have the time to wait for Daniel to come to his senses. Now family is everything to me, Maggie, you know that. In fact, that's probably why you married me."

"Oh, I do," Maggie said. "I just hope you and Daniel can smooth things over, because it would be such a shame for two good men who want the same thing to be at each other's throats."

"Daniel will get over it." Maggie gave Victor a look and he said, "Fine. I'll swallow my pride and apologize to him too. But not tonight." He ran his hand through Maggie's hair. "This house has so many rooms but no place to hide. Let's take advantage of the fact that for once we have this entire house to ourselves."

Roman, Rafe and Abe met outside of the abandoned motel off of Route 6. "Whatcha got?" Roman asked.

Abe shook his head. "Not much yet. This motel has, what, three floors of rooms that have been untouched since the 1950s?"

"Yeah," Rafe said. "Last Halloween we chased a bunch of kids out of all fifty rooms. It's a drug hangout; from time to time we get calls of kids breaking in, and we come clear it out when we have nothing else to do. Got a call a few days ago, actually, but it turned out to be nothing."

"Anyway," Abe said, "at this point we don't know exactly where Paige is being held, and I think it would be ill-advised to conduct a full search. If the guy we're thinking of is behind this, he's definitely armed, and who knows what he'll do to Paige Larson if he realizes we're closing in on him."

Roman nodded. "Are you absolutely sure the girl's even in there?"

"As sure as we can be," Rafe said. "We got a tip on the photo - "

"A tip?" Roman was puzzled. "I thought I told you that those photos were for our investigation only, not to be shown to anyone outside the precinct."

Rafe shrugged. "Apparently not everyone can follow instructions. Anyway, does that really matter now? The point is, someone was able to ID this place from looking at the photo. Plus, if you think about it, this is a perfect hideout for a kidnapper. It's out of the way, abandoned… nobody's gonna come down here and discover he's hiding some girl in one of these rooms. So the only question is, how do you want us to go about getting her safely out of there and bringing this creep to justice?"

"Okay," Roman said. "We're gonna go on the assumption that the girl's in there along with her captor. That makes this a hostage situation. I want barricades up around the perimeter of the motel so that nobody goes in or out without us knowing about it. Our first priority is the girl's safety, and our own. I'm going to get some more bodies down here to help… in the meantime, we need to find a way to communicate with the suspect so we can establish rapport and hopefully end this peacefully." Roman started to walk off, then turned back. "And Rafe, we're gonna deal with this photo leaking thing later. If it was you who passed those photos to your friend Nicole Walker - "

"It wasn't."

"I hope not, for your sake. If it was you, you'd better have covered your tracks enough that I never find out about it."

Jeff knelt down by Paige, holding a bong. Her eyes widened. "No," she whispered. "Don't make it worse for yourself by forcing that on me."

Jeff smiled. "I love how you're always so concerned about everyone else," he said. "Now I don't want you to worry about your friend. It was an accident, that's all, and Cole's taking care of her. She was only hit in the shoulder so I'm sure even though there's a lot of blood, she's going to be fine."

"Getting shot in the shoulder sometimes requires surgery," Paige said automatically, remembering something Kayla had told her last time she was at her internship. "You can hit, like, all kinds of arteries and stuff."

Jeff bit his lip. For a second, Paige thought he might actually be scared. He turned away from her, saying, "Forgot you were pre-med. So, um, do you know what to do so she won't die?" Paige said nothing, thinking, and Jeff turned back towards her. "Please, Paige, I know I can't ask anything of you after what I did to you, but if you can help her, I swear I'll untie you right now."

"I'm not a doctor yet, Jeff. We need to get her to a hospital."

"I can't… I can't do that." Jeff paced back and forth beside Paige. "If I try to take her anywhere, I'm gonna end up in jail. We have to find a way to save her, right here, right now. Cause I can't...I can't go to jail, Paige. That was never the point, and I never meant for any of this to happen, I swear. You have to believe me, Paige, you have to know that I'm not a bad person."

"Then let me go. I'll take her, and I won't say a word about anything, I promise."

Jeff's eyes flashed. "You're lying. The second I let you out of here with her, you're going to go straight to the cops. You might be super smart, but I'm not stupid, Paige. Don't even try it."

"I'm not," Paige protested, her eyes narrowing.

Jeff glared at her but said nothing. Paige leaned back against the pole. Jeff turned away from her again, then back towards her. "Take one hit," he said, holding out the bong again. "I won't… I won't force you, but it'll calm your nerves and maybe… maybe then you can look at Cole's girl, see if maybe there's something you can do that he's not already doing. Cause I don't… I've done a lot of really bad stuff but I never meant for anyone to die."

"Just untie me!" Paige said, ducking away from the bong. "Look, I can try to make a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. I saw Dr. Brady do it the other day."

"Okay." Jeff reached behind Paige to untie her hands. "I hope this isn't a trick, though. I really meant it when I said I don't want to have to hurt you."

"It's not that I'm afraid, Mom," JJ said, sighing. He got up from the couch, not wanting to look at his mother until he got his words together. "It's just… look, I get you want me to be safe and everything, Mom, but you go way overboard."

"I don't understand."

"I know." JJ sighed. "Mom, I didn't tell you I was working for Nicole cause I knew you wouldn't like it. I figured you'd come up with some way to stop me so - "

"So you thought you'd just go behind my back?"

"Not exactly." JJ bit his lip. "Mom, I wanted to prove myself first, okay? I wasn't even sure I could do this, and I just wasn't up for fighting with you about it while I was trying to figure it out."

"I wouldn't have fought with you about it. JJ, Nicole may not be my favorite person, but if you really want to work with her, I would never stand in the way of that. I didn't even know you were interested in journalism, honey-when did that happen?"

"I didn't know either. I, uh, it started out that I just wanted to clear Rory's name, but Mom, it got bigger from there. Sally, Nicole's assistant, she said she thought I have what it takes to be a reporter in the long haul and um, that felt good cause… cause I thought maybe that's a way I'm like Dad that's not so bad and if he were here, who knows, maybe he'd even be proud of me."

Jennifer saw Nicole coming up to the doorway out of the corner of her eye; she held her finger up to tell her to wait. Turning towards her son, Jen said, "Of course your father would be proud of you. Honey, he's not the only one. I'm proud of you too."

"Why?" JJ stared straight ahead, feeling both embarrassed and unworthy, and he didn't want his mom to see it in his eyes. "I mean, Mom, yeah, I'm not on drugs, but I keep making you worry - "

"All you did was get off drugs?" Jen said. "Honey, I wish you realized what a big accomplishment that is. Ask your Aunt Maggie sometime how many sponsees she has who relapse over and over before they quit for good. Yes, I worry...probably too much, but JJ, that's what moms do. I will probably still be worrying about you when I'm a grandmother to a couple of kids who are older than you are now."

"That's not gonna happen," JJ said. "Paige, even if we find her in time… we're done and we have been for a really long time."

"There will be other girls." Jen patted her son's shoulder. "Anyway, that's not important right now. JJ, this internship is a big deal. I'm sure Nicole didn't hire just the first person who came in off the street. She saw something in you, and a job like this can really open doors for you. I'm very proud that my son is an intern at a major news station. I just wish you'd have told me about it yourself."

"I know, and I'm sorry."

Jen took JJ's hand. "Let's just forget about it. Just know, JJ, how much I love you." JJ nodded and Jen said, "You know, I met your father when I was doing a journalism internship at the Salem Spectator."

"I didn't know that." JJ blinked hard. "I, uh, I guess there's still a lot I don't know about you and Dad."

"Yeah. I'll tell you the story...but later. I know you have a job to do. And right now, I'm more interested in your future."

Nicole, taking that as her cue to come in, knocked on the door and said, "Excuse me, Jennifer. I need to talk to JJ about our next steps with this story."

"Of course." Jen seemed strangely at peace as she got up; Nicole didn't trust it. "I'll see you at home later." She turned towards Nicole. "I'm not going to stand in his way, don't worry. All I ask is that you bring him home in one piece at the end of every investigation."

"I'll do my best," Nicole promised. Jen nodded and walked out.

Paige knelt down by Bev. "Take the blanket off her," she told Cole. "I need to see the wound. Besides, it's not really sterile." She pulled the blanket back. Blood had soaked through it and there was even more blood on Bev's shirt and on her shoulder as Paige pulled the shirt back. Paige shuddered. "We need to clean this off somehow," she said, "so I can make sure, but I think she's stopped bleeding."

"I did it?" Cole asked.

"Yeah, but she still needs to go to the hospital to make sure she doesn't have any internal injuries or anything." She glanced at Bev, whose eyes were open but who was not moving. "I think she's in shock or something. I'm only a pre-med student, I don't know how to fix it."

"Well you're gonna have to figure it out." Jeff paced back and forth. "I told you, Paige, I'm not getting caught."

Cole glanced out the window. "Um, it's a little late for that."

"What the hell are you on about, Cole?" Jeff demanded.

"I don't know who invited them to the party, but there's a whole lot of cops out there."

Nicole waited until the door closed behind Jen before speaking. "Nice try," she said, "but you don't get to ditch me and go running off by yourself to perform your Captain America impression."

JJ looked down at the floor. "I-I wasn't. I was just - "

"Just running off to singlehandedly save Paige, thinking what I won't know won't hurt me." Nicole sat down next to JJ. "Look, I'm not about to rap your knuckles with a ruler over it. I told you, JJ, I'm onto you. So you might as well own it."

"Okay, you're right." JJ stared at the floor. "Well, almost right anyway. I… I tried to call Hope but I couldn't get her to listen so I figured the cops aren't gonna do much of anything."

"I don't blame you. Hope's your cousin so I'm sure she doesn't have the same automatic assumption of wrongdoing when it comes to you that she does for me, but still... Not that that's totally her fault, by the way. Probably 90% of it is her eyes being firmly glued to the rearview mirror but if I didn't have a sordid past for her to obsess over that wouldn't matter."

"What's your point?"

Nicole sighed. "I don't want to badmouth someone who's important to you, JJ, and I'm sure Hope is better as a cousin than as a cop… but don't bother calling her for anything big. There's only one cop who takes me seriously in this town, and that's Rafe Hernandez. I already put a bug in his ear as soon as I got your text. He's rounding up the troops and they're on their way."

JJ bit his lip. "You gonna go cover it?"

"_We_ are." Nicole half smiled as JJ looked up, surprised. "Look, I could send you to the office and make Sally babysit you while you weed through more useless information, but I didn't take you on to teach you the importance of obedience. Stupid and reckless decisions can get you killed, but you know how many stories I've gotten by sitting quietly and waiting for Miles to give me the go-ahead? Spoiler alert: absolutely none. Now maybe I'm not the best reporter out there. I haven't won any awards, haven't had anyone tell me that something I reported on changed their lives. But I get stories nobody else even knows about yet, because I'm not afraid of ignoring someone else's rules. So I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not burying you in a ton of busywork to break your spirit. Now come on, we've given the cops enough of a head start for them to actually be doing something by the time we get there."

Philip waited until the porter had set up the table and left again before getting back in bed with Chloe. The wine and fruit were on the table and wouldn't go bad any time soon; when she woke up in the morning she'd see them.

Chloe stirred as Philip got in the bed. He took her hand and squeezed it, remembering how he felt when they were just two kids experiencing love for the very first time.

"_I didn't know then I was looking into the eyes of the woman I would be with forever," Philip had said, that long ago night of the rainstorm, when he had walked all the way over to Chloe's house. She had protested that they were just kids and asked, "But what about when we're old?"_

He smiled ruefully at how his sixteen-year-old self would have thought that the man he had become was old. In another eight years he'd be ancient in that boy's eyes. So much had changed. He and Chloe had been through so much, together and separately. That kid he once was never thought that he would twice meet and get attached to a child who turned out not to be his own flesh and blood, that he would have injured his leg fighting a war that the boy in the rain never would have even imagined agreeing to participate in. The boy he once was couldn't believe that he and Chloe would ever be apart for one minute, never mind years and years, on and off, through other partners and failed marriages.

Philip shook his head. He didn't like to think about all the time he'd wasted and all the living he'd done wrong. He wished he could still be as full of hope and optimism that forever really existed as he had been then.

Chloe sat up suddenly, waking up all at once. She always did that, Philip remembered. She put her hand on his shoulder. "Philip, don't…" she said. "I've done enough crying about Parker for both of us. Knowing you're here has made it a little bit better, but if you start I'm going to get upset all over again."

"It's not that." Philip sighed, reaching behind himself for Chloe. "It's… it's life, you know? All the wrong turns I made, all the mistakes… and the biggest one was not holding onto you for all of eternity. I made you a promise when I was 16 and it took me so long to realize that wasn't just the words of a stupid kid who didn't know better. I knew better then than I did as an adult. It should have been me marrying you. It should have been us together forever, like we planned."

"Ssh." Chloe rubbed his back. "What's done is done, Philip. We had to grow up our own way, you know?" She glanced at the table, noticing it for the first time. "Where'd all this come from?"

"From me." Philip tried to smile. "I know neither of us is in the mood for a real date, with Parker sick and everything. But I thought maybe at least I could bring some romance into this room, maybe - "

"Maybe make up for lost time?"

Philip bit his lip. "Stupid, I know, but a romantic heart still beats inside me no matter how old I get."

"It's not stupid. I mean, my stomach is too unsettled to eat anything now, but it's… it's a beautiful gesture." Chloe put her arm around Philip. "Come to bed and let me shake off this mood you're in." She kissed his ear.

"Chloe…" Philip began.

"This isn't my grief or my fear or anything else having to do with the situation," Chloe said. "This is me, Philip, Chloe Lane, saying that it's been too long since we've been together and it's time to change that." She kissed his neck, letting her lips linger a bit. "Let me show you what you've been missing," she said in his ear.

Against his better judgment, Philip nodded and turned his head so that he could kiss Chloe. She fell back on the bed under the weight of his kiss and they embraced tightly.

Jeff stiffened. "How the hell did they find us?" He spun around to glare at Cole. "You've been on their side the whole time, haven't you? You made me think you were working for me but you were really snitching to them."

Cole held his hands out. "No, man, I swear. Do you think I'd have anything to do with any cops?" He spit on the floor, then glanced at Bev. "Look, all I care about is making sure my girl doesn't die, okay? I was down with giving you names of people to rob, Jeff, but really I didn't want to go any further. I know I screwed up with that stupid stoner kid, but that didn't mean I wanted to be part of your little kidnapping plot. I thought it was going to just be you and her once we lured her there."

"Don't blame me for that," Jeff said. "If your girl hadn't put her nose where it didn't belong - "

"Yeah. I know. She wouldn't get out of our business so we had to force her into it. Look, Bev can be in a pain in the ass. She's stubborn and spiteful and nosy and sometimes I lose my temper with her, but that didn't mean I wanted this to happen." Cole pulled the gun out and stared at it like he'd never seen it before. "This gun… I only meant to use it to scare her into cooperating. If I'd thought for one second she'd fight back while I was holding it and make it go off I would have taken all the bullets out of it." Cole tossed the gun on the floor, causing Paige to gasp. Luckily, it didn't go off. "So no," he went on. "I'm not a narc and I'm not really interested in going back to jail, but I can't let Bev die." He turned towards Paige. "Hey pre-med, can I carry her out or is that gonna make her chances worse?"

Paige's mouth was dry. She swallowed hard and said, "A-all the books say not to move a gunshot victim til the EMTs get here."

"All right then. I hope someday she appreciates the sacrifice I'm making for her." Cole started for the curtain.

As soon as he was gone, Jeff said, "Well. I guess it's just you and me here, huh Paige?"

Paige's eyes widened with fear as he turned towards her. She glanced at the gun on the floor, but it was closer to him than it was to her.

The cops had already put up barricades around the outside of the motel by the time JJ and Nicole got there. Hope came over to them. "Go home, JJ," she said. "We're working on getting Paige safely out of here. There's nothing you can do to help."

JJ glared at Hope. Nicole flashed a card at her and said, "He's with me. I wasn't expecting the story of the century on his first day so I didn't ask Miles to print off an extra press badge."

Roman came up behind Hope. "What's the problem?" he asked, then glanced at Nicole and said, "Never mind. I think I've got my answer. Look, Nicole, this is a delicate operation. We've got at least one hostage in that building, and right now it's our fervent prayer that we're gonna be bringing her home alive. So we don't need - "

"What does that mean?" JJ interrupted. "You really think that scumbag killed Paige?"

Roman glanced at JJ, noticing him for the first time. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. You brought a wet-behind-the-ears kid with you who's just as likely to get himself killed doing something stupid as anything else, and we can't be babysitters on top of what we're doing. Hope's right, JJ. Don't put us in a position where we have to go wake your mother up in the middle of the night to give her bad news about you."

JJ scowled, but all he said was, "You didn't answer my question. Do you or don't you think Paige is alive?"

Roman hesitated. "I'm not saying anything about this for the two of you to broadcast to the world. That girl in there is probably scared out of her wits, just like all the kids this guy has been attacking over at the school. Including that girl you've been hanging around with, JJ. Find some other tragedy to exploit for ratings and have the decency to leave this one alone."

JJ looked like he was about to say something else, but Nicole jumped in. "Don't give us so much credit," she said. "Since when do ex-porn stars and ex-potheads have any morals?" Roman started to say something, but she held up her hand and said, "Don't bother trying to backtrack. It doesn't matter how many right moves we make, in your eyes, and probably in Hope's too, our pasts are all we are and all we'll ever be. But for the record, I wasn't planning to run any story until I got the go-ahead from Rafe. So keep judging all you want, Roman, because the funny thing about snide hypocrisy is, it makes it a lot easier for me to decide to screw you over just for the hell of it." Nicole took out her phone. "All I have to do is make a call and I could have a whole camera crew out here."

Roman crossed his arms. "I know you're not threatening me, Nicole, but you're toeing the line, so watch what you say."

"Don't you have a kidnapper to catch?" JJ demanded. "I heard every minute counts; why are you wasting time with us?"

Roman glanced at Hope. "In a second, I'm gonna lose my temper, and trust me, that is the last thing we need if we're going to deal with a standoff in there. So I'm gonna go take care of business and I'll leave getting these two under control up to you." He walked off.

"For the record," Hope told JJ, "pissing Roman off is probably not a wise move. If I were you, I'd stay behind that barricade and start crafting an apology to give him after this is all over."

Maggie watched as Henderson brought in plate after plate of food. Chicken in some sort of sweet sauce, vegetables, rice, potatoes… even some gravy in a fancy silver container.

"Victor Kiriakis," Maggie said. "You have really outdone yourself."

"Well, when Parker's healed, perhaps you can make it up to me with a night at Chez Rouge. I haven't found time to stop by there recently, but that's going to change."

Maggie was quiet for a second. "You know what I'd rather? Once Parker is better, let's have the whole family over here to celebrate with another meal like this."

"Agreed." Victor held up his glass of sparkling cider. Maggie didn't care if he drank, but he had wanted to get fully into her world for once. "To _Κυριακής _strength," he said, smiling at her.

After their toast, Victor had Henderson pull Maggie's seat out for her. She sat down and allowed him to serve them both.

It seemed they had barely started eating when their plates were empty and Henderson was taking them away. "How soon shall I bring out the desserts?" he asked Victor.

"Ah, give us some time," Victor said. "A few moments alone with my beautiful wife is all I need at the moment. Maggie, would you do me the honor of retiring to the living room with me?"

Maggie took his hand and let him take her to the living room. The furniture had been pushed back to make a large, empty space in the center of the room. Music played from an ancient record player that Victor had set up in the corner-in some ways he would never enter the modern world, Maggie thought. Victor smiled at Maggie and said, softly, "Mrs._Κυριακής, _may I have this dance?"

Jeff had picked up the gun and was pacing back and forth, holding it, seemingly oblivious to how uncomfortable he was making Paige. Or maybe he liked scaring her this way. She couldn't tell.

"I hate these things," Jeff said. "Hate, hate, hate them. Guns are messy and hard to control. You end up with something like this." He gestured towards Bev. Paige glanced at her, not sure if she was even still alive, but not daring to check her pulse while Jeff was in charge of the gun. "Cole probably got it just to mess with me. He was unpredictable that way. I knew I was better off going solo. How's Bev doing?"

Paige reached over and took Bev's pulse. "I can barely feel her heartbeat. Jeff, we have to get her to a real doctor."

"Cole's taking care of that I'm sure. Any moment now the cops are going to burst in here and try to arrest me, you know. Cole's too much of a coward to keep his mouth shut and just say there's a girl hurt in here. He'll tell the whole story just to save his own ass." Jeff sighed. "Promise me one thing, Paige."

"Anything." Paige realized too late that she was allowing desperation to show in her voice.

Jeff turned to her, his eyes large and brown. "Promise you don't hate me. Cause the thing is, Paige, the thing is… I didn't do any of this to hurt you. I wouldn't have done any of it at all if it wasn't for JJ. See… I… I actually really liked you, Paige. When we were in class together I left you alone cause I knew you were JJ's girl. Unlike him, I don't take what's not mine. Anyway, that first day I saw you in Club TBD, I thought, you're free of him now so maybe there's a chance. I mean, I didn't really think you could go for a guy like me, but I was going to try. I was gonna work it nice and slow and build it up til you fell in love with me, even though that friend of yours hated me. Bitch!" Paige flinched and Jeff said, "I'm scaring you again. That's all I do, scare you. Anyway, Paige, I was gonna do things the right way. I was even… I would have given up the robberies for you, turned myself around. I was only doing them cause Salem U is so boring and I needed a story to write. But then… then JJ had to stab me in the back. He knew I wanted that internship, Paige. He knew it and he took it anyway. I had to do something to get him back, and I thought, maybe after a while you'd forgive me."

"Forgive you?" Paige said. "Jeff, you put a knife to my throat. I thought you were going to kill me!"

"I had to, Paige. You wouldn't come with me if it was up to you. But I didn't mean it, I swear." Jeff's eyes were wide. They seemed to Paige to be on fire. Look, I went way too far. I know. I don't expect you to ever like me. Just… just don't hate me. When the cops come, don't beg them to take me away or anything." Jeff glanced down at the gun. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen, Paige. I just wanted a good story… and then I got in over my head…"

Paige tried desperately to remember what she'd learned in her Abnormal Psychology class so far. She hadn't worked with any psychiatric patients during her internship so she didn't know how to reach someone like Jeff. "I don't hate you," she said at last.

"I don't believe you," Jeff said. He stared at the gun in his hand, then lifted it slowly. "In a few minutes, they're coming for me. You'll be okay. They'll take you somewhere warm and safe. To the hospital probably, or to your mom's. I was going to ask for $40,000 for you, you know. I don't know why. I didn't want the money, just like I didn't want all the crap I stole. I threw away all the jewelry I got when I attacked Marissa. What do I need jewelry or money for? Anyway, I guess I'm not going to get to do that now. Your mom'll be happier not to hear from me anyway."

"Jeff - "

"Don't interfere!" Jeff turned the gun over and over in his hands. "I'm not going to jail, Paige. I won't survive there anyway. A guy like me? I'm dead meat." He blinked hard. "Don't make me tie you up again, Paige. Because if you try to take this unu away from me I'm going to have to do that. I don't want you to get hurt or to die. I didn't mean for Bev to either." Jeff stared at the gun. "I have to do this, Paige, okay? This is the last thing I'm going to say, and I hope you're listening."

Paige nodded.

"I'm sorry for everything, Paige. For the robberies… for forcing you to come with me… tying you up… all of it. If you ever think of me again, just remember the boy who came up to you in Club TBD. Forget all… all of this, okay?"

Paige nodded. "I will," she whispered, trying to keep him talking until the cops could get here.

The front entrance to the motel swung open just as the hostage negotiation expert Roman had called got to the scene. All the cops on the motel grounds turned at once, drawing their guns.

Cole came out of the motel, slowly, his hands raised above his head. Behind the barricade, JJ swallowed hard, trying to control the anger that was rising in his throat. He punched his empty palm with his fist, thinking about what Cole had helped do to Paige.

"Freeze!" a cop ordered Cole. He obeyed. "Nice and slow now," the cop told him. "Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head."

Cole did as he was told. Two cops rushed up to cuff him. "You've gotta get in there, man!" he cried. "There's a girl shot… he's gonna… he'd rather she die than let her get to a hospital."

"Tell us where she is," one of the cops told him.

"There's a hallway on the right of the front desk," Cole began. "You go down it and - "

Just then, a woman's voice screamed, "NOOOOOOO!" JJ flinched, recognizing Paige's voice. Before he could react, there was a gunshot coming from the same part of the motel that Paige had screamed from.

Jennifer and Abigail sat at the kitchen table, playing cards. Abigail drew a card, then threw her hand down and said, "Gin. Again. Mom, why don't you admit it? You're not concentrating, and you're not going to until JJ comes home."

Jen sighed and reached for Abigail's hand. "I'm sorry, honey. Your brother picked the worst time possible to assert his independence."

"I'd say." Abigail shook her head. "I can't believe you let him go to some abandoned building where the cops think Paige is being held hostage. And with Nicole, of all people."

"He was going to do it whether I wanted him to or not. Your brother's not like you," Jen said. "You have a good head on your shoulders, Abigail."

"Yeah, when I decide to use it. Mom, I spent all of last year trying to steal EJ Dimera away from his wife. That doesn't exactly show good sense."

"I'm sure there's a time or two I can think of in my past where I didn't show good sense either," Jen pointed out as she picked up the cards and absent-mindedly began shuffling them. "What I'm trying to say, Abigail, is that you're a lot more like me than JJ is. Maybe you're not so smart when it comes to falling in love-though Ben is an improvement in that department-"

"Mom…"

"Hear me out. Abigail, you might be too quick to follow your heart, but you don't look for trouble. JJ… I'm not saying he's a bad kid, because he's not. But he has a lot more of his father in him than you do." Jen sighed. "I was never able to stop your dad from running into the middle of a disaster. He thrived on it, and I guess that's a good thing, because otherwise you wouldn't be here for us to have this conversation. But sometimes, I tried to get him to stop and think… and it just made things tense between us. I had to learn my lesson the hard way, Abigail. JJ is as hungry for adventure as his father ever was, and I can't change that. I can only hold my breath and hope that he comes home in one piece."

Abigail took her mother's hand. "I hope so too, Mom. At least the cops know what they're doing, so maybe they'll be able to get Paige while keeping him safe."

Just then, Ciara called, "Abigail? Jennifer? Anyone home or did you all leave me here by myself like my mom did?"

Jen glanced at Abigail, who called, "I'm coming, Ciara," and went to see what her cousin wanted.

_JJ's body moved by itself, jumping over the barricade and running towards the motel. He heard people calling his name, but he couldn't stop. He had to get to Paige and make sure she was okay._

_Someone grabbed him from behind. He struggled, trying to pull away. "Get off me!" he said. "You don't understand. Paige is in there, and you guys are still standing around doing nothing. She could be dead!"_

"...a small story for right now. We have to try to be sensitive." Nicole glanced at JJ. "And that was a waste of good breath. Did you hear any of that?"

JJ snapped back to reality, realizing Nicole had been talking to him for the last five minutes. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I was…"

"You were thinking about your ex-girlfriend and if you'll ever get the chance to make a fool of yourself begging for another chance while she spits in your face again."

"No!" Nicole raised her eyebrow at him and JJ said, "I mean, not exactly. I get that Paige and I are over, and I'm not interested in trying again just because she got messed up by the same creep who attacked Marissa. But knowing she's in there and that there's nothing I can do… even though I haven't thought about her in months-" Nicole gave him a doubting look and he said, "Okay, in weeks." He sighed deeply and said, "Damn it, what's taking the cops so long to get to her?"

Nicole put her hand on his shoulder. "Listen, JJ…"

"She's gonna be fine. They have to do their job. I have to wait. I get it."

"I can't tell you that she's going to walk out of that motel in one piece," Nicole said slowly, "but I do know one thing. Soon you're going to have an answer. And no matter what it is Jeff did to Paige, just knowing what it is will help."

"I guess." JJ bit his lip. "If he ki… if he hurt her…" He pounded his palm with his fist. A couple of uniforms glanced at him over their shoulder.

"Let's leave the threats of violence for after we get out of earshot of the cops." Nicole tried to smile. "So who's Marissa?"

"Nobody." JJ reddened.

"You're probably smart to try to keep me out of your business," Nicole said. "If there's one thing you remember about this whole traumatic experience tonight, let it be that I told you this. If I'm ever drunk enough to try to give you relationship advice, do the opposite." JJ didn't respond. Nicole punched him on the shoulder, playfully. "That was a joke. Look, I know how serious this is, but we're not going to know anything til they come out of that motel, so we might as well try to relax."

"I can't, Nicole. Not when…"

"I know. If Eric was being held hostage in that room, I'd probably be standing out here wondering if he regretted all the nasty things he said to me and hoping I'd have the chance to find out." Nicole brushed JJ's shoulder. "Waiting for the story's the hardest part of reporting, especially when so much hangs in the balance. I'd offer you a beer if you weren't under age and we weren't surrounded by cops."

"Thanks, I think."

"Tell you what," Nicole said. "Let's check in with Sally and see if she's got anything for us. That way we can actually trick ourselves into thinking we're doing something while distracting ourselves from what might be going on in there." JJ nodded as she took out her phone.

Hope led the group of cops that was running through the hallway Cole had described. Her walkie-talkie crackled. "Suspect in custody tells us third room on the right," Roman said. "Use caution, be careful… bring everyone out alive if you can."

"Roger," Hope said quietly into the walkie-talkie. She gestured towards the room where Paige was being held.

The cops knocked on the door. There was no response. Hope nodded and someone rushed the door to break it down.

They all entered, guns drawn, and looked around. Hope saw there was a curtain in the center of the room. She called out, "Salem PD. Drop your weapon and put your hands up." Then she slowly pulled back the curtain.

The scene that met her eyes sickened her despite her years of experience. There was very little light, making it hard to see, but it looked like there were two bodies on the floor. Paige was kneeling next to one of the bodies, feeling for a pulse. She raised her hands slowly into the air as the curtain opened all the way. "I think he's dead," she said. "I don't know about Bev. I'm sorry. I'm not a real doctor yet, I couldn't…"

Hope put her hand to her mouth while she blinked back her own tears. "It's okay, Paige," she said softly. She looked around, taking in the ropes on the bed posts as well as all the blood everywhere. The gun was in Jeff Adkins' hand,and there was blood all over him. Paige looked clean enough, though it was hard to tell.

Hope turned towards one of the cops and said, "Get some EMTs in here." Then she said to Paige, "You're safe now, Paige. We came to get you out of here."

"He shot himself," Paige said, ignoring Hope. She seemed to be talking to herself. "I couldn't stop him. I haven't studied psychiatry yet, I didn't know what to do."

Hope went to her and helped her up. "I'm sorry," Paige said. "I'm only pre-med and they wouldn't let me call Dr. Brady and…"

"Ssh…" Hope helped Paige up and hugged her tight. "It's over now, Paige."

"I didn't know what to do," Paige said again.

"Come on, sweetheart," Hope told her. "Let's get you out of here."

Chloe and Philip lay on the opposite sides of the bed. Philip sighed, feeling as if the gulf between them was growing wider instead of shrinking.

"I'm sorry, Chloe. That's never happened before. Maybe it's stress or something."

"Or maybe," Chloe said, blinking back tears, "it's that we aren't right for each other anymore."

"Hey." Philip reached over and touched her hair. Chloe ignored him, but she didn't push his hand away; he guessed that was a good sign. "That's not it, Chloe. That could never be it. Look, I've put a lot of stress on my body over the years. Iraq...then endless business trips for my father's company...then Parker's illness pulling the rug out from under me just as I was starting to put the missing pieces of my life back together again."

"Go ahead, Philip. Say it. I cause you too much stress."

"No! Chloe, look at me. It's not you causing me stress. It's not having you that I can't live with."

Chloe bit her lip. "We're not sixteen anymore, you know, Philip."

"So you keep saying."

"Back then you were my everything, and then when Parker was conceived and when he was born, you were my everything again. But maybe we can only hold onto what we had when we were kids for so long. Maybe this is God's way of telling us, I don't know, that it's time to move on."

Philip was quiet, blinking back tears. "Is that what you want, Chloe?"

"No! I want… I want to introduce Parker to you tomorrow and I want you two to hit it off and I want him to get better and come home to both of us. But I can't help thinking, maybe it's too late for all that."

"Chloe, we've been through this. I thought you were over the stupid three year gap in our relationship, the one that's all my fault. Okay, so I couldn't get it up tonight. Do you think you're the only one lying here disappointed?"

Now it was Chloe's turn to be quiet. "No, of course not."

"Well it doesn't help for you to start insisting on throwing the whole relationship away because of it! I failed you, or us, or whatever, and it hurts me too, but not as much as the thought of you slipping through my fingertips again."

Chloe turned towards him. "I'm sorry. I just… after all this time, I still can't believe you're really mine, you really want to be with me. Too much time had gone by. I'd given up. I thought it was just going to be me and Parker and then, there you were again."

"I know. But I'm here now, forever this time, if you'll have me."

"I will."

Philip looked at Chloe. She was more gorgeous than ever now that his body wouldn't cooperate and let him have her. "Look, why don't we just go with our original plan for tonight?"

"What original plan?"

"The one where I just hold you all night. What do you say?"

"Yes," Chloe whispered. Philip put his arms around her, drawing her to him. "Yes, yes, yes."

A stretcher came out of the motel. There was a body on the stretcher, covered with a sheet. JJ stared at it, his eyes wide. It felt to him like it was passing in slow motion. Another stretcher came out behind it. This time he could see who it was. It was Bev. Her eyes were glassy and there was a lot of blood; JJ thought they made a mistake and she was dead, too.

"Hey!" he said to the cop passing by. "Did Cole Hines do this to her?" The cop didn't answer.

The door opened one more time. JJ turned. Paige was leaning against Hope, who had her arm around her, but she was walking. JJ glanced at the stretchers being loaded into the ambulance, then back at Hope. He and Paige's eyes met for a second, then hers flitted away. "It's really you," he said softly. "You're alive."

Paige shrugged.

Hope said to Paige, "The EMTs are going to take you to the ambulance. I'll be there in a few minutes, honey. I promise." Paige walked off with an emergency worker. She looked like she was in a daze.

Hope turned towards Nicole and said, "What I'm about to say is off the record. I can't make an official statement right now."

"Got it," Nicole said.

"In a few hours the crime scene's going to be fair game for reporters," Hope said, crossing her arms. "If you have to go in there, do it, but… I'd stay out of there if I were you. It's pretty gruesome."

Nicole nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up. I'll leave your description out when I talk to my boss so he won't insist on it. Anything else?"

"Yes. I know the two of you have been eager to find out who was behind the robberies, so it's only fair I tell you. Jeff Adkins, the boy who commited them, died tonight."

"Sounds like karma caught up with him," Nicole said. She glanced at JJ, who didn't seem to have any reaction to the news.

JJ crossed his arms. "He took Paige too, didn't he?"

"He and Cole did."

JJ rocked back and forth. "What'd he do to her?"

"I'm sorry, honey, but it's not going to do anyone any good to know the details. If Paige wants to talk about it someday, she can, but I'm not going to share what I know. I will say that we don't know the extent of her injuries yet, and that's part of why we're taking her to the hospital tonight."

JJ glanced at Nicole. "Can you take me over there too?" he asked. "Not as a reporter," he added quickly. "I just… I gotta see for myself how Paige is doing."

"No, JJ," Hope said. "You need to go home." JJ scowled and Hope said, "I doubt Paige is going to be allowed any visitors tonight, and your other friend isn't either. I'll keep you posted, I promise."

"Whatever."

"Don't hold me saying this against me," Nicole said, "but Hope's right." She turned towards JJ and put her hands on his shoulders. "You've done enough, JJ. You refused to give up until you found Paige, no matter what I said or your mom said or anybody said. She's safe now because of you."

JJ shrugged.

Nicole looked him up and down and said, "If the thought's crossing your mind that you can sneak out to the hospital as soon as I drop you off, tell it to turn around and go back where it came from. I need you in the office as soon as you can tomorrow to help me cover the press conference the cops are sure to have on this." JJ shrugged and she said, "You're not quitting on me now that you got the answers you wanted, are you?"

"No, it's not that. I just… Nicole, it's not just Paige in the hospital. You asked me before who Marissa was. She, uh, she's a new friend and, uh, Jeff, he messed her up too. And Bev, she was a piece of work before she got shot, but she didn't deserve that either. I wanna be there for all of them, but I guess, I guess I still gotta wait a bit." JJ turned towards Nicole, who said nothing. "Sorry," he said. "I ramble when I'm tired. I guess you'd better take me home after all."

Victor's phone rang just as Henderson finished putting out an assortment of pies for dessert. "Like all good things, peace and quiet must come to an end," Victor announced. "I have to take this."

"Of course."

Victor went into the living room. Maggie stood in the doorway between the two rooms, watching him.

"Dr. Jarvik!" Victor smiled. "I'd ask you how your flight was, but I have little patience for small talk at the best of times, and certainly not now, when time is of such importance. Yes, the boy in question is my grandson. His father's staying with him in the hospital. Well, you'd have to ask him that-you know I don't follow these medical conversations very well. Yes, he is expecting you tomorrow morning-can I assume that gives you enough time to review the charts and decipher their meaning? Excellent. I am confident we made the right decision."

Maggie came into the living room as Victor hung up. She silently put her hands on his shoulders and began giving him a massage.

"You always know exactly what I need," Victor said. He put his hands on Maggie's.

She smiled and kissed the back of his neck. "Is everything all set for Dr. Jarvik's visit in the morning?"

Victor nodded. "Our grandson is in good hands, almost as good as Daniel's would be if not for this pesky rule against treating your own flesh and blood."

"Our," Maggie said. "I don't think I've ever heard you refer to Parker as belonging to both of us before. I like the sound of that."

"I thought you would." Victor sighed. "I know he's really your grandson, but damn it Maggie, I feel like he's mine even though his DNA is stamped with my godson's information instead of my son's." He glanced at a photo of Philip on the mantle.

"You miss Philip, don't you?" Maggie said.

Victor shrugged. "It's quality, not quantity, that counts. Or at least that's what that son of mine likes to say." He sighed. "I know how happy you were to gain a flesh and blood grandson, but between you and me, Maggie, Philip's never really been the same since the day he found out Parker wasn't his. I guess in some ways it's a blessing. It got Chloe's talons out of him, though she immediately went for Daniel, so I'm not sure that was much of an improvement. Anyway, I've always trusted Philip to handle his own affairs and I wouldn't dare change that now. But he is a shell of the man he once was." Victor shook his head. "Not all fathers and sons have the kind of relationship I imagine you're used to. My son and I have always been strained and tense, since the day he decided at the ripe old age of 16 to settle down with Chloe Lane-emphasis on settle."

"Call him," Maggie said, interrupting what she was sure was about to become a lengthy rant.

"Nah. I learned a long time ago not to trade in fantasies of what would be in an ideal world. Philip and I are what we are. I'm glad I can do something for Parker-let's focus on that."

Maggie's eyes widened as she took her husband's hand. She saw him glance again at the photo of Philip on the mantle when he thought she wasn't looking.

Marlena sat in her office, talking to Hope on the phone. "No, it's not a problem at all. I headed back to my office as soon as you told me about the standoff. I had a feeling my services would be needed tonight." She sighed. "I agree, it's terrible. I will see Paige as soon as you get here. And Hope, it goes without saying that I'll keep every detail of what you've told me about this crime confidential. You don't have to worry about that."

She hung up the phone and rubbed the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. Then she made another call. "Elizabeth? It's Marlena Evans. I hate to bother you so late, especially on one of the only nights you're not on call, but are you in the vicinity of the hospital, by any chance? I'd really like to talk to you for a moment."

Abigail was playing Go Fish with Ciara at the kitchen table while Jen busied herself making a sandwich. "That's too much peanut butter," Ciara said. "Can't you do it right?"

"Ciara!" Abigail said. "I'm sure you know better than to be so rude to someone who's trying to do something for you."

"It's okay," Jen said. "I know you're just upset because your mom wasn't here when you woke up. I'll just give this one to Abigail and start again."

"I wasn't upset," Ciara said. "I'm used to it." She glanced at her cards. "I bet you don't have any 3s," she said to Abigail.

"That bet would be wrong."

"Joke's on you. I don't have any either." Ciara almost smiled. "This is the first time Mommy took me to someone else's house before she took off for work," she announced. "I guess she didn't want to bother Aiden. A lot of times, he comes over and me and Chase play. When Chase sleeps over at my house, we stay up way late after Aiden thinks we're in bed. He's easy to fool."

Jen bit her lip but said nothing. Abigail said, "I don't think your mom meant to leave tonight. I think she wanted to come have a visit, but something came up."

"You mean that bad guy that hurt JJ's friend?" Ciara picked up a card slowly and said, "I'm glad JJ left."

Jen froze in the middle of putting the knife into the peanut butter. "Why, sweetheart? Did JJ say something that upset you? Because I happen to know he adores you."

"No." Ciara put the card in her hand and picked up another one when she thought nobody was looking. "It's just that I didn't want the bad guy to come here, so if JJ isn't here, he won't."

Just then, they all heard a key turning in the front lock. Ciara paled. Abigail put her cards down and said, "I bet that's JJ now. Maybe your mom, too." Ciara didn't get off her seat. "Come on," Abigail said. "I'm not leaving you by yourself to take fifteen extra cards."

Ciara scowled but she went with Abigail.

"You wanted to see me?" Elizabeth asked, poking her head into Marlena's office.

"Ah, Elizabeth. Yes. Thank you so much for heading back over this way. Come on in."

Elizabeth closed the door and sat down. She looked around Marlena's office. "I know it's silly," she said, "but somehow being called into your office brings me back to my school girl days, when I'd get called to the principal's office for some minor infraction that probably could have waited."

Marlena smiled slightly. "Not at all. You're not in trouble, don't worry. In fact, quite the opposite." Her smile faded. "You probably haven't heard yet about the boy who killed himself after taking a girl hostage earlier tonight."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Not anybody you knew, I hope."

"No. The thing is, that this boy actually hurt quite a few people on the Salem U campus. I imagine in the next few days I'm going to be quite busy, between counseling some of his victims and making myself available for students who need to talk."

"I see. So how can I help?"

"Well," Marlena said, "I know this is a little out of your purview, Elizabeth, but I really don't think I can handle all of these young people's care alone. Now I realize you're not a psychiatrist, but I thought that you might be able to help with some of the counseling that needs to be done, since you do work with young people and their families. I was wondering if I could turn over a few of these cases to you as they come in?"

"Of course. In fact, if you'd like, I can handle going to the school and talking with the student body. My other patients come first, of course, but I'm glad to assist the kids as much as I can."

JJ was moving slowly as he came through the doorway. Nicole stood on the doorstep, watching him. As he came inside, she said to Jen, "He's exhausted, not drunk. I promise."

"I didn't think anything else," Jen said, mouthing to Abigail to take Ciara upstairs. "Um, do you want to come in for a minute, Nicole?"

"I have to go tell my assistant she can go home. She's been manning the police scanners all night. But thanks."

Nicole closed the door behind her. JJ said, "I'm pretty beat," and headed for the stairs.

"Not so fast," Abigail said, coming back down from putting Ciara back in bed. "You don't get to disappear all night and scare the hell out of us and not even tell us where you've been."

"First of all, if you think Ciara's not sitting at the top of the steps listening, you haven't got a clue." JJ rubbed his eyes. "Anyway, I really can't put a sentence together right now, Abs. I'll tell you the whole story tomorrow. I promise."

"Tell me one thing," Jen said. "Is Paige…"

"She's at the hospital. Hope's there taking a report or something, I don't know."

"Paige is safe?"

JJ nodded.

"And you're okay?"

"Yeah, just tired, that's all."

Jen hugged her son tight, saying under her breath, "Thank God."

The EMTs rushed Bev into surgery as soon as she got to the hospital. Hope walked Paige in a second later. Paige stared at the operating room doors as they closed behind the stretcher. A second later, Kayla ran into the OR, followed by a couple of other doctors.

"That's weird," Paige said in a flat tone.

"What is, honey?"

"I didn't see - "

Just then, Marlena came up to them. "You must be Paige," she said. "Dr. Brady wants to do your physical examination herself, but right now she's tied up in surgery, so how about you come with me and we'll talk about what happened tonight while we're waiting for her?"

"Okay," Paige mumbled in that same, flat tone. She followed Marlena into her office.

Roman came up to Hope, who was standing at the nurses station, watching Paige go. "I know you want to get back to Ciara," he said, "but I need to tie up some loose ends first."

Kayla glanced at Bev's vitals as she worked on her. "Blood pressure's falling, Doctor," a nurse said.

"I can see that. She's lost a lot of blood but I think it's more than that. Something's going on internally. Give me a closer look at the bullet wound."

The nurse moved the scope so that there was a clear image of the hole and the blood all around it on the screen. Kayla carefully separated some tissue in Bev's shoulder and looked again. "Here it is. The bullet nicked an artery. Let's clamp and cauterize, and give her 2 cc's of fresh blood just to be safe."

Paige said nothing at first. She just sipped the water Marlena gave her, while Marlena sat quietly and observed her. Finally, Marlena said, "I know that what's happened to you can be difficult to process. I invite you to talk about anything that comes to mind about it that you feel like sharing."

"I don't know," Paige said. "I feel like I should be upset. That's what everyone expects me to be."

"There's no right way to feel, Paige. I'm not interested in what everyone else expects. I would like to know what you do feel."

Paige shrugged. "Sad, I guess." She stared straight ahead, remembering how Jeff had come up to her in Club TBD, and later how he'd asked her if she could read over his article. Then she remembered him putting the gun against his head. She blinked hard to clear that last memory.

"Why sad? Sad this happened?"

Paige shook her head. She didn't dare look Marlena in the eye as she said, "I'm sad for Jeff."

Roman waited while Hope called Eve to tell her that her daughter had been found. "She's being examined now," she said, "and it'll probably be tomorrow before you can see her, but I thought you'd want to know that Paige is safe. No, Eve, I never did get to talk to her about safety but I don't think that matters now. The important thing is she's away from the boy who took her. Yes, University Hospital. You know where it is. But please don't come down tonight. I know, Eve, but nobody's going to let you see her right now and it'll just cause more upset. No, you're right, I'm not a doctor, but - Good night, Eve."

Hope hung the phone up and said, "I think I talked her out of making a scene. I can't really blame her, though. I wouldn't want to wait til morning to see Ciara either."

"I'm sure Eric can help her get through the night." Roman sounded distracted, and Hope wasn't sure whether he was being sarcastic or not.

"Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Right. We just have a couple things to tie up here. I sent Rafe home and as soon as I get your opinion, you can go too. Number one. Is the Walters girl a victim or a suspect here?"

Hope sighed. "I'll know more tomorrow after I take Paige's statement. We found two ropes tied to the bed, so my guess is both girls were being held against their will in that room. I say let's wait and see. First she has to make it through surgery so we can question her."

"Fair enough. Number two. How sure are you about how Jeff Adkins met his maker?" Hope stared at Roman and he said, "I'm not looking to press charges against anyone for this, but the fact remains that we only have Paige's word for it that he forced her to watch him shoot himself. It could just have easily gone down that she shot him and put the gun in his hand."

"You saw her," Hope snapped. "You're assuming presence of mind that Paige didn't have. The poor girl was in shock."

"Even so, just to cover all our bases, we should swab her for gunshot residue."

"Cover all our bases? What does that mean?"

Roman sighed. "Later tonight I'm going to have to notify Jeff Adkins' aren't going to want to believe that he did half of what we're accusing him of, so we should have proof that he did actually kill himself."

"Jeff tortured her, Roman. Don't ask me to treat her like a criminal, because she isn't one. Even if she were capable of what you're suggesting, it would be self-defense, so what difference does it make?"

"We could be sure we were giving the parents the truth. Come on, Hope, wouldn't you want to know for sure what happened to your child?"

"Forgive me, but I don't give a damn what will make this easier for Jeff Adkins' parents. Their mentally unbalanced son destroyed at least three women's lives, and over what? As far as we can see right now, it was all about trying to get a job he wasn't qualified for. Marissa and Paige are never going to be the same again, thanks to him, and we don't even know that Bev Walters is going to make it, all because he wanted to force Nicole Walker to hire him.

"I find it nearly impossible to believe that Jeff's parents had no idea something was wrong with their son before he started terrorizing Salem U students. Paige Larson is tormenting herself thinking she could have done something to save his life even though there was nothing anyone could have done for him. As far as I'm concerned, he did enough to her. I won't treat her like a criminal so that his parents can hold onto false hope that their son didn't do what we all know that he did."

Kayla came out of the operating theatre just then. "Excuse me for interrupting," she said, looking very tired.

"No, of course." Hope turned towards Kayla. "What's the news, Kay?"

"Well," Kayla said, pulling off her surgical gloves and tossing them in the trash, "first of all, the Walters girl made it through surgery. She lost a lot of blood, and for a while I thought we were going to lose her altogether, but now I'm pretty optimistic. It's going to be at least a day before she wakes up, though. I'll let you know as soon as she's up to answering some questions."

"Thanks."

"There's more." Kayla sighed. "While I was prepping her for surgery, I noticed she had bruising all over her body, especially the wrists, face and back. There were also rope burns on her wrists, which shouldn't be a big surprise to anyone since we all figured she'd been tied up just like Paige was. But since there was so much trauma, I went ahead and did a full scan for abuse." Kayla shook her head sadly. "Hope, there are bruises on her inner thighs and I could see some damage in the genital area. I can't do a full exam without getting her consent, of course, but just from the damage I was able to see visually… I don't know if it was during this ordeal or earlier, but I'm pretty sure, Hope." Kayla swallowed hard. "The damage I saw was consistent with sexual assault."


End file.
